2 weeks ago
EXCLUSIVE: Sri Lanka’s Sumathi Studios is making its debut successful Cannes pinch female-led quality authorities play Rihana, featuring Jeremy Irons successful a lead role, and directed by seasoned filmmaker Chandran Rutnam, known for his activity arsenic a statement shaper connected Hollywood films.
Produced by Jagath Sumathipala, nan movie besides stars Vidhushika Ramaraj arsenic a Sri Lankan Tamil Muslim female sent to activity arsenic a home helper successful nan Gulf who is wrongly accused of murdering an babe successful her care. Irons plays a quality authorities activistic who sets retired to thief her.
The movie is written and directed by Rutnam whose credits see award-winning features The Road from Elephant Pass (2009) and A Common Man (2013), an English-language thriller starring Ben Kingsley and Ben Cross. He is besides known internationally arsenic a statement shaper and accumulation supervisor successful Sri Lanka and Malaysia pinch credits including Indiana Jones And The Temple Of Doom (1984) and Indochine (1992).
“We were looking for projects pinch world imaginable erstwhile we met Chandran who said he had 3 scripts,” Sumathipala told Deadline. “We chose this 1 because we felt it’s a communicative we could show nan world. Our purpose is not only to show stories, but to bring them beyond Sri Lanka’s shores to a world audience.”
Chennai-based talent is besides progressive successful nan film, including imaginative shaper Noah Abraham Prabu and composer Girishh Gopalakrishnan (Mookuthi Amman). Anusha Sanjeewa Edirimuni statement produced nan movie pinch Chandana Jayasinghe and Ranga S. Bandara connected committee arsenic cinematographers and Sunil Wijerathne arsenic accumulation desginer. Samantha Sumathipala, Chadu Sumathipala and Chathula Sumathipala co-produced.
The movie is multilingual pinch dialogues successful English, Arabic, Tamil and Sinhalese, making it different successful Sri Lanka wherever astir section productions are made successful Sinhalese.
Due to nan sensitivity of its taxable matter, Rihana was wholly filmed successful Sri Lanka, which doubled for Saudi Arabia done nan usage of workplace interiors and AI. Locations included nan government-owned Ranminithanna Tele Cinema Village successful nan southbound of nan country, arsenic good arsenic nan superior Colombo, humanities metropolis of Galle, Kandy successful nan cardinal region and locations successful nan east.
Sri Lanka was a celebrated shooting location earlier nan 27-year-long Civil War that ended successful 2009, and was emerging again arsenic a destination conscionable arsenic Covid and an economical situation unopen nan state down again.
Productions are starting to return now that nan state is much politically and economically stable, astir notably Jenjira’s Magnificent Dream directed by Thai auteur Apichatpong Weerasethakul, which is presently shooting successful nan cardinal highlands.
In summation to its quality authorities message, Sumathipala said he hopes Rihana will bring attraction to nan talent and locations disposable successful Sri Lanka. “We wanted to proceed nan bequest of Sumathi Studios arsenic good arsenic raise nan floor plan of Sri Lanka arsenic a spot to travel and shoot. We person galore stunning locations and a batch of younger directors, writers and different accumulation talents are starting to travel through.”
Sumathi Studios, founded by Sumathipala’s precocious begetter U.W. Sumathipala, has been producing Sri Lankan films since nan 1970s, focusing connected societal issues dramas and stories astir women. When U.W. Sumathipala passed away, his woman Milina Sumathipala took complete nan studio, becoming 1 of nan first female producers successful Sri Lanka to execute world recognition.
The workplace worked pinch acclaimed Sri Lankan filmmaker Lester James Peries and his woman Sumitra Peries connected films including Lester James Peries’ White Flowers For The Dead (Ahasin Polawata), which won Best Film from nan Third World astatine Cairo International Film Festival successful 1978.
Sumitra Peries’ The Girls (1978) was re-released this twelvemonth successful France pursuing its action for Cannes Classics successful 2025.
Rihana marks Sumathi Studios’ return to accumulation pursuing a ten-year hiatus since Sunil Ariyaratne’s Paththini in 2016. The movie is screening successful nan Cannes Marche connected May 20.
