Ira Madiyama

Ira Madiyama (August Sun) (Sinhala: ඉර මැදියම) is a 2005 Sri Lankan bilingual feature film directed by Award-winning Prasanna Vithanage and produced by Soma Edirisinghe for EAP Films.[1] It stars Peter D'Almeida, and Nimmi Harasgama in lead roles along with Namal Jayasinghe and Mohamed Rahfiulla. Music composed by Lakshman Joshep de Saram.[2][3][4][5] It is the 1047th Sri Lankan film in the Sinhala cinema.[6]

Ira Madiyama
ඉර මැදියම
Directed byPrasanna Vithanage
Produced byEAP Films
Written byPrasanna Vithanage
StarringPeter D Almeida
Nimmi Harasgama
Namal Jayasinghe
Mohamed Rahfiulla
Music byLakshman Joshep de Saram
CinematographyM. D. Mahindapala
Edited bySreekar Prasad
Production
company
Prasad Laboratories
Distributed byCEL Theatres
Release date
  • August 2003 (2003-08) ( Montreal)
  • February 2005 (2005-02) (Sri Lanka)
Running time
108 minutes
CountrySri Lanka
LanguageSinhala & Tamil
Budget10 Million LKR

The film premiered at the Montreal World Film Festival.[7] A website "www.iramadiyama.com" was launched along with the film, which is for the first time in Sri Lanka.[8]

Synopsis

Ira Madiyama (August Sun) is set in Sri Lanka during the mid-1990s and tells three simultaneous stories against the backdrop of the country's savage civil war (1983 – 2009).

Chamari (Nimmi Harasgama) is searching for her husband, a Sinhalese Sri Lankan Air Force pilot shot down in flight, whom she believes has been taken prisoner by the Tamil Tigers. Desperate to know the truth, she enlists a sympathetic journalist and sets out on a journey to track him down.

Meanwhile, eleven-year-old Tamil Muslim Arfath (Mohamed Rahfiulla) is struggling to keep his companion and friend, a dog, while the family together with the entire village is forced to evacuate by a rebel army.

The third narrative follows Duminda (Namal Jayasinghe), a young soldier who walks into a brothel to find his sister among the working girls.

The main action of the film takes place in Sri Lanka's northern territories, parts of which are controlled by the Tamil rebels who have created a de facto separate state.

These stories are about people who are struggling to hold on to their hopes and dreams while being swept up by the torrents of war. The film is about their quest for life.[9]

Cast
  • Peter D'Almeida as Saman Gunawardena
  • Nimmi Harasgama as Chamari
  • Mohamed Rahfiulla as Aralath
  • A. A. Mansoor as Hasan
  • Namal Jayasinghe as Duminda
  • Nadee Kammalaweera as Kamani
  • Maheswari Rathnam as Aralath's Mother
  • Rajeena Begum as Aralath's Sister
  • H. V. Thaheera as Aralath's Grandmother
  • Chandra Kaluarachchi as Duminda's Amma
  • Gayani Gisanthika as Girl at Brothel
  • Nilar N. Kasim as TV Presenter
  • Sampath Jayaweera as Duminda's friend
  • Mahesh Mayra Nisal as Duminda's friend
  • Kumara Thirimadura as Checkpoint officer

Music

The original music for Ira Madiyama was composed by Lakshman Joseph De Saram.

Trivia
  • Ira Madiyama (August Sun) was a bi-lingual film in Sinhala & Tamil.
  • The father and son characters of Hassan and Arfath, were real-life refugees who had fled their hometown of Mannar under similar circumstances.
  • Although, set against the backdrop of war and ethnic conflict the film focused on the social fabrics of the nation. There were no warfare scenes in the film.
  • The events in Ira Madiyama (August Sun) take place on the day Sri Lanka became world champions when they beat Australia in the 1996 Cricket World Cup final in Lahore, Pakistan. It is also the period immediately following the breakdown of the first attempt at peace talks between the Sri Lankan government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). So it was a time of great tension and uncertainty mixed with elation at the cricketing success.[10]

Theatrical Release

Sri Lanka

Ira Madiyama (August Sun) saw its domestic release across Sri Lanka on 10 February 2005. It opened across 16 centres islandwide. It ran for 55 days to good critical and commercial response.[11]

Singapore

Ira Madiyama (August Sun) and Akasa Kusum (Flowers of the Sky) are set for limited release from 18 June 2010, at Sinema Old School[12] a 136-seater high definition cinema screening local and award-winning films in Singapore.[13]

International Film Festivals

Awards

[14]

Official Selections
  • Montreal World Film Festival, Canada (World Premiere)
  • Quebec International Film Festival, Canada
  • International Film Festival of India, India
  • Chennai International Film Festival, India
  • Kolkata Film Festival, India
  • Pusan International Film Festival, Korea
  • London Film Festival, United Kingdom
  • Bite the Mango, Bradford, United Kingdom
  • Amiens International Film Festival, France
  • Deauville Asian Film Festival, France
  • Fukuoka International Film Festival, Japan
  • Cinequest International Film Festival, United States
  • Istanbul International Film Festival, Turkey
  • Durbun International Film Festival, South Africa
  • Hong Kong Asian Film Festival, Hong Kong SAR
  • Taiwan Film Festival, Chinese Taipei
  • Film Fest Hamburg, Germany
  • Dhaka International Film Festival, Bangladesh
  • Films from the South Festival, Oslo, Norway

References
  1. "New film from Prasanna". Sunday Times. Retrieved 29 November 2019.
  2. "Story of ordinary people & life's challenges". The Sunday Times. Retrieved 11 March 2017.
  3. Susitha R. Fernando (6 April 2003). "Story of ordinary people & life's challenges". Sunday Times, Sri Lanka. Retrieved 2010-05-17.
  4. "Ira Madiyama — futility of peace through war". The Island. Retrieved 11 March 2017.
  5. "Sri Lankan Screened Films". Sarasaviya. Archived from the original on 8 March 2018. Retrieved 11 March 2017.
  6. "Sri Lanka Cinema History". National Film Corporation of Sri Lanka. Retrieved 3 October 2016.
  7. Derek Elley (29 September 2003). "Review - Ira Madiyama (August Sun) (Sri Lanka)". Variety. Retrieved 2010-05-17.
  8. "Vithanage pleads for racial unity". Sunday Times. Retrieved 29 November 2019.
  9. Chandana Silva (6 April 2005). "Ira Madiyama (August Sun) - Aesthetic and technical achievement". Daily News, Sri Lanka. Archived from the original on 14 October 2012. Retrieved 2010-05-17.
  10. Nirupama Subramaniam (7 January 2006). "What Price War?". The Hindu, India. Retrieved 2010-05-18.
  11. Prasanna Vithanage (May 2005). "Ira Madiyama (August Sun) at Cannes Film Festival's Sri Lanka Day". Official Website of Prasanna Vithanage. Retrieved 2010-05-17.
  12. Larry Loh, Singapore Editor (26 March 2010). "5 must-visit venues for the independent film lover in Singapore". CNN GO, Local Insights. Global Experiences. Retrieved 2010-05-23.
  13. Sue-Ann Teo (28 May 2010). "Next Up: Ira Madiyama (August Sun)". Sinema.sg.
  14. "One more feather for Ira Mediyama". The Sunday Times. Retrieved 11 March 2017.
  15. "'Ira Madiyama' wins fifth award". The Sunday Times. Retrieved 11 March 2017.
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