Malaka Dewapriya

Malaka Dewapriya
Born Grardhiwasam Lindamulage Malaka Dewapriya
(1979-03-30) 30 March 1979
Sri Lanka
Nationality Sri Lankan
Other names Malaka Devapriya, Mālaka Dēvapriya
Education BA (2005) MFA (2009)
Alma mater Akademie Schloss Solitude, University of Colombo, Ananda College
Occupation visual artist and film maker
Known for visual arts and film
Notes

Malaka Dewapriya (Sinhalese: මාලක දේවප්‍රිය, IPA: [maːləkə deːʋaprijə][1] is a Sri Lankan film maker, visual artist, Sinhala Radio Play writer, short film and video director .[2][5]

Biography

Born in Sri Lanka on 30 March 1979, Dewapriya graduated with a BA (International Relations and History) from the University of Colombo in 2005.[2][4][6] After graduation, he received a scholarship for Video/Film/New Media at Akademie Schloss Solitude, in Stuttgart, Germany, from 2007 to 2008.[2][4][7] He received an Asia Pacific Artists Fellowship,[8] which partially supports his "short-term" residency as a visiting artist at the GoYang Art Studio, for visiting international and domestic artists, affiliated with the National Museum of Contemporary Art in Seoul, South Korea, from 2008–2009 ("5th period", "no. 671").[5]

He first became involved in theatre in 1991 and has written several short plays.[4] His later work engages a variety of the arts, including film, photography, theatre, and radio drama.[9]

As a visual artist, he has created short films and video installations, several of which have been screened in international student competitions,other competitions,festivals and exhibitions.[2][4]

He has also done some other writing and editorial work in Sri Lanka, both as a student and later, according to his personal Website and his "CV" at GoYang Art Studio, both of which list such work and also screenings of his short films.[4]

Short films experience

While he was still a student at the University of Colombo, on 9 June 2004, his short film Life Circle (5:31) was screened in the juried international competition program at the 10th International Student Film Festival, held from 5 to 12 June 2004, in Tel Aviv, Israel.[1][10][11] An interview conducted by Sachie Fernando and published in the Sri Lanka Sunday Times on 25 July 2004, observes: "This is the first time Sri Lankan Student’s film took part Recognized International film festival in history of Cinema of Sri Lanka."[9] According to another interview with Dewapriya, conducted by Susitha R. Fernando and published in the Sri Lankan Sunday Times, on 27 July 2008, "This was the first time a Sri Lankan student's film was chosen in an internationally recognized festival. And the selection was a big step to re-establish short film culture in Sri Lanka."[12][13][14] Life Circle was also selected for screenings at two other student film competitions outside Sri Lanka, in 2004 and 2005.[15][16][17]

Another interview with Dewaprija, published in the Sri Lanka Sunday Times on 5 September 2004, points out that Exchange, a short experimental film whose context is "colonial Sri Lanka under the British rule," which he presented under the auspices of the University of Colombo, was "The first Sri Lankan entry" in the Tokyo Short Shorts Film Festival held in October 2004.[18] It was screened in Program A: Short Shorts: Ghost Short Shorts.[19]

His 30-minute film Transference won the Best "Silver TEN Award" in the Short Films category at the Mumbai International Sport Movies & TV (FICTS) Festival, first held in Mumbai, India, in 2006,[2][20][21] and was also screened at the South Asia Film Festival and other festivals that year.[4][22]

Today, another short film, which he made while at the Akademie Schloss Solitude in Germany, was selected to compete in "the final round of CinemadaMare Film Festival in Italy" in the summer of 2008; it competed "with over 150 directors around the world at the semi final round" (10–14 August).[12][23]

His article on the "Sri Lankan Experience of the Short Film", published in ArtSlant Magazine, states, somewhat less unequivocally than he may have suggested in his earlier Sri Lanka Sunday Times interviews: "Recently, after I presented two of my short films titled 'Life Circle' and 'Exchange' in Tel-Aviv Student … Festival (2004), and Short shorts film festival Tokyo (2005), respectively, the dialogue about the short-film in Sri Lanka has resurfaced to a certain extent"; he goes on to focus on what having his films included in such student festivals meant to him personally and develops his own perspective on short film as an art form and an industry in Sri Lanka.[24]

Filmography

Full Length Films

Short Films

Theatre

Translations

Director; translator (from English into Sinhalese)

Original plays

  • 1995 Punish – (short play)
  • 1993 Bandana – (short play)
  • 1992 Volcano – (short play)
  • 1991 Forgiveness – (short children's play)[4]

Exhibitions

Other works

Magazine article
Dewapriya, Malaka. "Sri Lankan Experience of the Short Film". artslant Magazine. artslant (First 2009).  artslant.com. World Wide Web. Retrieved on 2009-01-18.
Books
Dewapriya, Malaka. 'Nihon Sepa Lebewa' (May you attain comforts of worldly life in Japan). Radio Drama Collection. Kolamba:2012. ISBN 978-955-98140-2-3. (Author publication in Sinhalese)[55][56][57][58][59]
Dewapriya, Malaka. Magical Festival: A Radio Drama. Colección nueva narrativa y poesía sudaca border año 2007. Buenos Aires: Eloísa Cartonera, 2007. OCLC 233002160.  (Corrugated board bindings.)[60][61]
Dewapriya, Malaka. Uge Hisa Ivarai (Off with His Head). Radio Drama Collection. Kolamba: Mālaka Dēvapriya [sic], 2006. ISBN 978-955-99772-0-9.  (Author publication in Sinhalese).[61][62][63][64][65]

Notes

  1. 1 2 3 "Student Guests" (Web). 10th International Student Film Festival. International Student Film Festival, Tel Aviv, Israel. 5–12 June 2004. Retrieved 10 February 2009. "Student Guests" listed from Sri Lanka"Malaka Dewapriya Grardhiwasam Lindamulage" .
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Fellows: Malaka Dewapriya" (Web). Akademie Schloss Solitude. Retrieved 10 February 2009.
  3. 1 2 "Malaka Dewapriya: Imagine Tropics" (Web). srilankapicturs, Sri Lanka). blogspot.com. 2010.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 "Other" (Web). Malaka Dewapriya. Malaka Dewapriya. Webpage in personal Website; see also introductory welcome page. Cf. "CV view" via GoYang Studio search facility.
  5. 1 2 "Final result of the Asia Pacific Artist fellowship program II". Retrieved 10 February 2009. International Artists Studio Program Korea, Changdong & Goyang, run by National Museum of Contemporary Art, now announces final result of the successful candidates on the Asia Pacific Artist fellowship program 2008–2009: Goyang art studio: … Yasuaki Onishi (Japan)[;] … Thu Kim Vu (Vietnam)[;] … Malaka Dewapriya ([Sri Lanka]).
  6. ↑ "Malaka Excels with Short Films" (Web). Sunday Times (Colombo, Sri Lanka), Mirror Magazine. Wijeya Newspapers Ltd. 5 September 2004. Retrieved 18 February 2009.
  7. ↑ Cf. "Fellowship Conditions" (Web). Akademie Schloss Solitude. Akademie Schloss Solitude. 2008–2009. Retrieved 16 February 2009. Fellowships are awarded to artists who finished their basic studies not more than five years before applying to Akademie Schloss Solitude or who are not older than 35. University or college students will not be considered for selection. Several fellowships are also awarded regardless of the applicant's age. It is possible to complete a project within the framework of the fellowship. 50 to 60 fellowships are allocated every 24 months. Akademie Schloss Solitude has 45 studios at its disposal.
  8. ↑ Cf. "Asia Pacific Artists Fellowship Residency Program III" (Web). National Museum of Contemporary Art, Korea. 2009. Retrieved 17 February 2009. (2009 competition deadline: 1 March 2009.)
  9. 1 2 Sachie Fernando (25 July 2004). "Spell of Stage and Screen" (Web). Sunday Times (Colombo, Sri Lanka), Mirror Magazine. Wijeya Newspapers Ltd. Retrieved 9 February 2008. Young undergraduate Malaka Dewapriya talks to Sachie Fernando of his local and international exposure in drama and cinema. [Interview with Dewapriya.]
  10. 1 2 "Film Search: Life Circle" (Web). 10th International Student Film Festival. International Student Film Festival, Tel Aviv. 5–12 June 2004. Retrieved 15 February 2009.
  11. ↑ "The Winners" (Web). 10th International Student Film Festival. International Student Film Festival, Tel Aviv. 5–12 June 2004. Retrieved 15 February 2009.
  12. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Susitha R. Fernando (27 July 2008). "Malaka's International Mark in Short Movies" (Web). Sunday Times (Colombo, Sri Lanka), TV Times. Wijeya Newspapers Ltd. Retrieved 10 February 2009. [Interview with Dewapriya.]
  13. ↑ "About Us" (Web). 10th International Student Film Festival. International Student Film Festival, Tel Aviv. 5–12 June 2004. Retrieved 15 February 2009.
  14. 1 2 "Contemporary movie completes shooting" (Web). sundaytimes. sundaytimes.lk. Retrieved 20 May 2012.
  15. 1 2 Susitha R. Fernando (4 December 2005). "Malaka's Movie Makes Its Mark in New York" (Web). Sunday Times (Colombo, Sri Lanka), TV Times. Wijeya Newspapers Ltd. Retrieved 9 February 2009. Student filmmaker Malaka Devapriya's short film 'Life Circle' has been selected for the Chimera 25th Anniversary Digital Video Student Film Contest, in New York. [Interview with Dewapriya.]
  16. 1 2 Susitha R. Fernando (15 May 2005). "Malaka Makes to Amsterdam" (Web). Sunday Times (Colombo, Sri Lanka), TV Times. Wijeya Newspapers Ltd. Retrieved 9 February 2009. [Student filmmaker] Malaka Dewapriya … left for [the] Netherlands to participate at the International Competition of Cinestud's, Amsterdam this year. [His] contribution is his [short film] 'Life Circle'. … On a scholarship, Malaka is presently undergoing his higher education on 'film, video and new media' at Akademie Schloss Solitude in Germany and [another short film] 'Today' is one of the production[s] he did in Germany with production support of the academy. [Interview with Dewapriya.]
  17. 1 2 "Student Filmmakers: Life Circle, by Malaka Dewapriya" (Web (MPEG)). StudentFilmmakers.com. Chimera Digital Video Student Film Contest (Welch Media). 3 November 2005. Retrieved 11 February 2009.
  18. 1 2 "Malaka Excels with Short Films" (Web). Sunday Times (Colombo, Sri Lanka), Mirror Magazine. Wijeya Newspapers Ltd. 5 September 2004. Retrieved 18 February 2009. A short film 'Exchange' made by young filmmaker Malaka Devapriya has been selected for the final round of the 'Shorts Shorts' International Short Film Festival. The festival scheduled for October is a competition that runs parallel to the Tokyo International Film Festival. … The film is a presentation of Cinema and Photographic Society and Media Unit of Colombo University. [Interview with Dewapriya.]
  19. 1 2 3 "Exchange, by Malaka Devapriya" (Web). ShortShorts.org. Short Shorts Film Festival Asia. 2004. Retrieved 11 February 2009.
  20. 1 2 "Results" (Web). Sport Movies & TV. 1st Mumbai International FICTS Festival. 2006. Retrieved 13 February 2009. [The India FICTS Festival] is the most active and fastest growing festival movement in India. Set in the heart of India's Film world[,] Mumbai and 'Bollywood', where close to 1000 films are made every year, [Ten Films] and [FICTS] have joined hands to organize the Sport Movies & TV India FICTS Festival. ("About the Festival")
  21. ↑ "Malaka's 'Transference' in Berlin and Karachchi" (Web). TV Times. sundaytimes. 2006. Retrieved 22 October 2006.
  22. ↑ "Transference" (Web). South Asia Film Festival. 30 October 2006. Retrieved 18 February 2009. All films with English subtitles. … 30 minutes. Sinhalese.
  23. ↑ "CinemadaMare Film Festival: 7th Edition: Concept" (Web). CinemadaMare Film Festival. 2009. Retrieved 18 February 2009. The biggest gathering of young Filmmakers in the world(Website for festival dates: 4 July – 16 August 2009): "CinemadaMare Film Festival aims to be the ideal formative experience for all filmmakers and cinema students: that kind of experience that achieves its goal – professional and human growth – through enjoyment and entertainment."
  24. ↑ Malaka Dewapriya (2009). "Sri Lankan Experience of the Short Film" (Web). ArtSlant Magazine. Colombo Film Circle. Retrieved 9 February 2009. (Free access.)
  25. ↑ "Malaka Makes Maiden Feature" (Web). sundaytimes. sundaytimes.lk. Retrieved 22 May 2011.
  26. ↑ "'Bahuchithavadiyage Agamanaya'" (Web). dailynews. dailynews.lk/. Retrieved 26 December 2011.
  27. ↑ "'Malaka brings 'Bahuchithawadiya'" (Web). sundaytimes. sundaytimes.lk. Retrieved 15 January 2012.
  28. ↑ "'Malaka Dewapriya to release maiden feature, says cinematographers must contribute towards socio-cultural boost'" (Web). Daily FT. ft.lk. Retrieved 28 January 2012.
  29. ↑ "Stranded amid different extremes" (Web). dailynews. dailynews.lk. Retrieved 15 March 2012.
  30. ↑ "Student Guests: Malaka Dewapriya: Transference" (Web). 11th International Student Film Festival. International Student Film Festival, Tel Aviv, Israel. 3–10 June 2006. Retrieved 12 February 2009.
  31. ↑ Malaka Dewapriya. "Transference" (World Wide Web). Personal Website. Malaka Dewapriya. Retrieved 12 February 2009. Includes synopsis, production details, and "A Review by Harsha Nagaraju".
  32. ↑ "Malaka's 'Transparence' in Tel Aviv" (Web). Sunday Times (Colombo, Sri Lanka). Wijeya Newspapers Ltd. 18 June 2006. Retrieved 9 February 2009. Young short-filmmaker Malaka Dewapriya's film 'Transparence' [sic] was screened at the 11th Tel Aviv International Student Film Festival, Israel. [The title of the film is misspelled; it is Transference, not Transparence.]
  33. ↑ Malaka Dewapriya (2001). "One for the Road: A Play by Harold Pinter, Translated and Directed by Malaka Dewapriya" (Web). Personal Website. Malaka Dewapriya. Retrieved 10 February 2009. [Includes synopsis, production details, and photograph.]
  34. ↑ "Arts: The Best of Them – Onstage: Second Round Selections – Length Dramas: One For The Road – Malaka Dewapriya" (Web). Sunday Leader (Colombo, Sri Lanka). 13 July 2003. Retrieved 10 February 2009. The 2002–2003 National Drama Festival second round will be held at Tower Hall from July 14 to August 5 from 6.30 pm onwards. One unique feature of the festival is that length dramas and short dramas will be held together with alternative theatre.
  35. ↑ "Colombo Art Biennale" (Web). colomboartbiennale.com. colomboartbiennale.com. Retrieved 25 January 2012.
  36. ↑ "Cita internacional para la videocreación contemporánea" (Web). arteporexcelencias.com. arteporexcelencias.com. Retrieved 25 October 2011.
  37. ↑ "Videoholica 2011– International Video Art Festival" (Web). thierryferreira.com/videoholica-2011-bulgaria. thierryferreira.com. Retrieved 1 August 2011.
  38. ↑ "Videoholica Program 2011" (Web). videoholica.org. Retrieved 1 August 2011.
  39. ↑ "Grand Prize-ensemble cross.art "earseyes"" (Web). Tokyo wonder site. tokyo-ws.org. Retrieved 1 November 2010.
  40. ↑ "Yeosu International Art Festival" (Web). Yeosu International Art Festival. blog.daum.net. Retrieved 10 November 2010.
  41. ↑ "Ears and Eyes" (Web). mastmedia. mastmedia.co.kr. Retrieved 2010–. Check date values in: |access-date= (help)
  42. ↑ "Experimental Sound, Art&Performance Festival" (Web). ensemblecrossart. .ensemblecrossart.com. Retrieved 2010–. Check date values in: |access-date= (help)
  43. ↑ "Supernatural" (Web). estivalmiden. festivalmiden.gr. Retrieved 2010–. Check date values in: |access-date= (help)
  44. ↑ "Silent art films" (Web). Tokyo wonder site. tokyo-ws.org. Retrieved 1 December 2009.
  45. ↑ "OK.VIDEO COMEDY Jakarta International Video Festival" (Web). 4th Jakarta International Video Festival. hokvideofestival.org. Retrieved 17 July 2019. Check date values in: |access-date= (help)
  46. ↑ "artmuseums: Open Studio5 (part1" (Web). artmuseum. artmuseums dot kr. Retrieved 20 April 2009.
  47. ↑ "Hi Asia" (Web). 2009 Changwon Asian Art. blog dot naverdot com. Retrieved 14 April 2009.
  48. ↑ "comostory: rhythmic" (Web). nabi.or.kr. comostory dot com. Retrieved 1 April 2009.
  49. ↑ "artwork: Earth" (Web). nabi.or.kr. nabi. Retrieved 1 April 2009.
  50. ↑ "emarts: Mind Street" (Web). emarts. emarts dot kr. Retrieved 11 March 2009.
  51. ↑ "Group Show: 18 Artists: Fetish and Consumption (final): 29 May 2008 until 5 July 2008 at Akademie Schloß Solitude, Stuttgart" (Web). ArtFacts.net. ArtFacts. 29 May 2008. Retrieved 10 February 2009.
  52. ↑ "Fellows: Gallery of the Exhibition Opening Fetish and Consumption" (Web). 29 May 2008. Retrieved 17 February 2009. [Includes image of "She Fits" (aka "SheFits"), by Malaka Dewapriya, his entry in this exhibition.]
  53. ↑ "Events: Long Night of the Museums" (Web). Events Archive: 19.00. Akademie Schloss Solitude. 5 April 2008. Retrieved 10 February 2009. As they do every year, Solitude fellows transform the Akademie's project space, located in the middle of Stuttgart's inner city, for the Long Night of the Museums. Fellows from the areas of architecture, video, visual arts, literature, music and performance will take part in the event in the Römerstrasse 2 outpost, which is used as studio and event space. … Participating artists are: Corinne May Botz, Malaka Dewapriya, Katalin Hausel, Matthias A. Megyeri, Donata Rigg, Helene Sommer, Roselyne Titaud. [Event announcement.]
  54. ↑ "Silence through Colours, Shapes and Darkness" (Web). My Oasis of Silence Exhibition Catalogue. Goethe-Institut, Colombo, Sri Lanka. Retrieved 13 February 2009. (Participating photographer.)
  55. ↑ "Book discussion on Friday" (Web). dailynews. dailynews.lk. Retrieved 1 April 2011.
  56. ↑ "Malaka's role in Radio plays" (Web). sundaytimes. sundaytimes.lk. Retrieved 9 September 2012.
  57. ↑ Cf. "Integrity of a non-conformist artist" (Web). ceylontoday. ceylontoday. Retrieved 27 September 2012. Dr Nirmal Ranjith Dewasiri who Senior Lecturer of the department of history at the University of Colombo, Writes Malaka's work is a challenge for the Sinhala Buddhists and it is expose the Sinhala Buddhist mind, highlighting what was between the material life of the Sinhala Buddhist and the ideological curtain covering such material lives. Therefore, he describe the Sinhala Buddhist readership cannot deal with these texts without being critical of him/her. Such is the political importance contained in these works of art.
  58. ↑ Cf. "Are we heading in the right direction" (Web). Daily News (Sri Lanka),Features. The Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Ltd. Retrieved 2 January 2013. a compilation of self-written radio-plays, one word can trigger a thousand visuals in a listener's mind. Malaka has compiled ten inspirational self-written radio-plays with rich content in his book. Amongst them, Nihon* Sepa Lebewa, Bhashmanthara, Mana Widamana and Nirabhishekana take reader on a trail towards a non-explored zone in human life.
  59. ↑ Cf. "Mesmerizing Plays of Satirical Genre meant for Radio Media" (Web). BoondiArticles. Boondi. Retrieved 2 July 2013. Athulasiri Kumara Samarakoon who lecturer in Political Science, Social Studies Department, Open University of Sri Lanka, Writes 'Thematically, Malaka's plays are very rich and he has used his creative faculty to make an exciting experience for the reader. The reality that we talk about could always be 'out there', but still the 'unconscious' that we can never get explored totally is only an area to be explored by arts. Malaka has brilliantly examined the unconscious dimension of contemporary consumerist society, its human subjectivity and political economy in many ways shedding lights on some chosen characters from our own environment'.‘Malaka's attempt in a way fills the vacuum created by artists in the caliber of Sugathapala de Silva and Henry Jayasena who consciously used their creations to expose the ideology and politics underpinning the social and economic system forced on our lives by history's circumstances. So, the art of the epoch have to be conscious of such circumstances and the dialectical forces of the history and thereby work for liberating the human beings from the agonizing political, social, cultural and economic circumstances enforced on their lives. And Malaka Dewapriya belongs to that rare caliber of artists who have identified the human potential of making history of their choice and also the need for conscious effort towards such transformations'.
  60. ↑ "Item Details" (Web). OCLC. WorldCat. Retrieved 13 February 2009.
  61. 1 2 "Dēvapriya, Mālaka" (Web). Identities (Beta). WorldCat. Retrieved 13 February 2009.
  62. ↑ Malaka Dewapriya is both author and publisher; publication sponsored by Book Developing Fund of the National Library of Sri Lanka.
  63. ↑ See also the National Library and Documentation Centre"Uge Hisa Ivarai: Radio Drama Collection" (Web). National Library and Documentation Centre-AfW Internet Inquiry. natlib. Retrieved 18 March 2010. Description198p. ; 20cm; Subjects-Radoi plays Sinhalese drama; ISBN 978-955-99772-0-9 ; SupplierBook Development Project ; NLC NLC 891.482 DEV; Barcode-112016; Accession No-112016
  64. ↑ See also the collected radio dramas mentioned by Dewapriya in "Uge Hisa Ivarai: Radio Drama Collection" (Web). Personal Website. Malaka Dewapriya. Retrieved 16 February 2009. Devapriya has collected eleven [sic] of his Sinhala radio plays broadcast over the last ten [sic] years. … Note: Prof. Sunanda Mahendra writes that there are ten plays broadcast over the last three years. But as Author [I] [m]ention there are eleven plays which [were] broadcast from [sic] Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation since [sic] 1996 – 2005 over 10 years.
  65. ↑ Cf. Sunanda Mahendra (27 September 2006). "Focus on Books: Literature" (Web). Daily News (Sri Lanka), Artscope. The Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Ltd. Retrieved 16 February 2009. Being an author publisher, Devapriya has collected ten [sic] of his Sinhala radio plays broadcast over the last three [sic] years. In his personal Webpage concerning Uge Hisa Ivarai: Radio Drama Collection cited above, Dewapriya provides this (hyperlinked) review published by Professor Sunanda Mahendra in the Sri Lankan Daily News: Artscope section, followed by his own "Note" correcting Professor Mahendra's mistake. Dewapriya's WriteClique.net profile reproduces the same ArtScope excerpt and "Note" as those that he has posted on his personal Website.
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