Prasanna Vithanage

Born in 1962, Prasanna Vithanage became involved in theatre on leaving school. He translated and directed Bernard Shaw's "Arms and the Man" in 1986, and Dario Fo's "Trumpets and Raspberries" in 1991. In 1992, he directed his first film "Sisila Gini Gani" (Ice of Fire). It won nine OCIC (Sri Lanka) Awards including Best Director, Best Actor and Best Actress. Four years later in 1996 was his second feature "Anantha Rathriya" (Dark Night of the Soul), which he wrote and directed. It was based on Leo Tolstoy's last novel "Resurrection". It participated in several international film festivals and won a Jury's Special Mention in the First Pusan International Film Festival. The film also won all the main awards at the 1996 Sri Lanka Film Critics Forum Awards (affiliated with FIPRESCI) including awards for Most Outstanding Film, Best Director and Best Screenwriter. "Pawuru Walalu" (Walls Within), his third feature in 1997 won the Best Actress Award for Nita Fernando in her role as Violet, at the 1998 Singapore International Film Festival. It even won ten out of eleven awards including Best Picture and Best Director at the Sri Lanka Film Critics Forum Awards. His fourth feature "Purahanda Kaluwara" (Death on a Full Moon Day) of the same year, 1997, which he wrote and directed was produced by NHK (Japanese Broadcasting Corporation). It won the Grand Prix at the Amiens Film Festival. Initially banned by the minister in charge of film industry, it was released after a yearlong legal batt…