Ira Madiyama


Ira Madiyama is a 2005 Sri Lankan bilingual feature film directed by Award-winning Prasanna Vithanage and produced by Soma Edirisinghe for EAP Films. 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. It is the 1047th film in Sri Lankan cinema.
The film premiered at the Montreal World Film Festival. A website "www.iramadiyama.com" was launched along with the film, which is for the first time in Sri Lanka.

Synopsis

Ira Madiyama is set in Sri Lanka during the mid-1990s and tells three simultaneous stories against the backdrop of the country's savage civil war.
Chamari 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 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, 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.

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 mother
  • 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.

Theatrical Release

Sri Lanka

Ira Madiyama 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.

Singapore

Ira Madiyama had a limited release alongside Akasa Kusum (Flowers of the Sky) starting on 18 June 2010 at Sinema Old School, a 136-seater high definition cinema screening local and award-winning films in Singapore.

International Film Festivals

Awards

Official Selections