Me Mage Sandai

Me Mage Sandai මෙය මගේ සඳයි
Directed by	Asoka Handagama
Starring	Saumya Liyanage Dilhani Ekanayake W. Jayasiri
Cinematography	Channa Deshapriya
Edited by	Ravindra Guruge
Music by	Rohana Weerasinghe
Release dates	2000 (2000) (London Film Festival) August 10, 2000 (2000-08-10) (Sri Lanka)
Running time	102 minutes[1]
Country	Sri Lanka
Language	Sinhala

Me Mage Sandai (This is My Moon) (Sinhala: මෙය මගේ සඳයි) is a 2001 Sri Lankan Sinhala drama film directed by Asoka Handagama and produced by Upul Jayasinghe for Nilwala Films. It stars Dilhani Ekanayake and Saumya Liyanage in lead roles along with W. Jayasiri and Linton Semage. Music composed by Rohana Weerasinghe.^[2][3] It is the 961st film in the Sri Lankan cinema.^[4]

International screening

The second screening of the film was held at the Elphinstone Theatre, at 4.00 and 7.00 pm on 2 August 2001.^[5] The film has been screened internationally by winning rave reviews at the Cinefan Asian film festival held in New Delhi in 2001.^[6] The film represented Tokyo international film festival which was held from 26 October to 1 November 2001. It also screened at Cheirs Du Cinema, Autumn film festival in Paris as the inaugural film.^[7]

Plot

A Sinhalese soldier (Saumya Liyanage) fighting against rebels struggling for Tamil independence is left behind by his company one night. While hiding in a bunker, he's discovered by a Tamil woman (Dilhani Ekanayake), with whom he experiences a violent sexual encounter. She proceeds to follow the soldier after he comes to the realization that his company isn't coming back, and he decides to leave the fighting behind and return home.

However, the soldier's return doesn't bring much joy to his village—his family, who imagined he was dead, was counting on his pension to help them dig their way out of poverty, while his fiancée refuses to have anything to do with a deserter. With no one willing to help him in his village, the soldier finds himself turning to the Tamil woman for affection.^[8]

Cast

• Dilhani Ekanayake
• Saumya Liyanage
• W. Jayasiri
• Linton Semage
• Hemasiri Liyanage
• Kaushalya Fernando
• Sunil Hettiarachchi
• Anoma Janadari

Awards

• 2001 Singapore International Film Festival^[9]
  • SFC Young Cinema Award^[10]
  • NETPAC/FIPRESCI
• 2001 Tokyo International Film Festival^[11]
  • Asian Film Award - Special Mention

References

1. Mark Deming (2008). "Me Mage Sandai". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. Archived from the original on 5 June 2008. Retrieved 6 December 2012.
2. "Me Mage Sandai: what it is and is not". The Island. Retrieved 11 March 2017.
3. "'Me Mage Sandai' breaks all traditions". The Sunday Times. Retrieved 11 March 2017.
4. "Sri Lanka Cinema History". National Film Corporation of Sri Lanka. Retrieved 3 October 2016.
5. "'Me Mage Sandai' at the Elphinstone". Sunday Times. Retrieved 27 November 2019.
6. "'Me Mage Sandai' spins to the top". Sunday Times. Retrieved 27 November 2019.
7. "Rare honour for 'Me Mage Sandai'". Sunday Times. Retrieved 27 November 2019.
8. "Me Mage Sandai". YouTube. Retrieved 9 December 2012.
9. "Singapore International Film Festival". IMDb. Retrieved 6 December 2012.
10. "'Me Mage Sandai' wins S'pore Award". Sunday Times. Retrieved 27 November 2019.
11. "Tokyo International Film Festival". IMDb. Retrieved 6 December 2012.