Chandran Rutnam | |
---|---|
Born | [1] | 22 July 1948
Nationality | Sri Lankan |
Citizenship | Sri Lankan |
Education | S. Thomas' College, Gurutalawa |
Occupation(s) | Film Director, Producer, Screenwriter, Entrepreneur |
Years active | 1975–present |
Known for | Film-making, Aviation |
Title | President and CEO of Asian Film Locations Services Ex-Chairman of Lionair Chairman of Asian Aviation Centre |
Children | 5 |
Awards | Sarasaviya Award - Best Camera Presidential Awards - Best Picture New York International Television and Film Awards - Best Film Madrid International Film Festival - Best DirectorContents |
Website | Asian Film Locations Services Asian Aviation Centre |
Chandran Rutnam is a Sri Lankan filmmaker and entrepreneur. [2] [3]
Rutnam has hosted numerous Hollywood films for their location shoots in Sri Lanka and Malaysia. [2] [3] He was the Line Producer/Production Supervisor on several international productions including the Sri Lankan location shoot of Paramount Pictures' Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984) and Indochine (1992). [2] [3] He is the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Asian Film Location Services which mostly hosts foreign films to be shot in South and South East Asia.
Steven Spielberg once referred to Rutnam as "Our most valued friend in the Far East". [3] [4] [5] [6] Rutnam has also worked with Sir David Lean, Sir Carol Reed, John Boorman, George Lucas and Regis Wargnier. [2]
Rutnam wrote the screenplay, produced, directed and edited the film The Road from Elephant Pass , which was a Finalist Award Winner at the New York International Television and Film Awards in 2011. [4] [5] He also wrote the adapted screenplay and produced and directed, A Common Man which starred Sir Ben Kingsley and Ben Cross. The film was nominated for the four main awards at the Madrid International Film Festival in 2013, winning the Best Picture, Best Director and the Best Actor awards. [2] [7]
Rutnam was the founder of Lionair, a defunct Sri Lankan airline, and owns the Asian Aviation Centre, an aeronautical engineering and flying academy. [ citation needed ]
Rutnam was born to a Tamil father Dr. James T. Rutnam and a Sinhalese mother Evelyn Wijeyaratne. He lived in Los Angeles, California, for 38 years and now resides in Colombo, Sri Lanka. He is a brother of Jayam Rutnam, the founder of the Sri Lanka America Association of Southern California (SLAASC). [2]
Rutnam was a school boy when David Lean arrived in Sri Lanka to shoot his Second World War epic, The Bridge on the River Kwai . The film crew hired a house that belonged to his parents for the shooting. [4] [5] Due to this exposure, to the consternation of his parents, he dropped out of school and went to London to pursue his dream of a career in films. He later moved to the United States and attended the film school at the University of Southern California and the San Fernando Valley College of Law. While working in Hollywood studios, Rutnam's break in selling Sri Lankan locations to international filmmakers came when he managed to convince John Derek, director of Tarzan the Apeman , to shoot the film in Sri Lanka rather than in Africa. [4] [5] [6]
Rutnam also dreamt of making a mark in the aviation field. He stated, "I was the sort of guy who would go to an airport and watch the planes taking off. I remember as a kid, I went to the Colombo port and watched the ships coming and going out. I do not know whether it was wanderlust or freedom of movement. I do not know which one it was. Some years ago a friend of mine and I decided that we should have an airline." [8] He founded Asian Aviation Centre and Lionair. Lionair was established in October 1993 and started its operations on 24 October 1994. Lionair suspended its domestic services when Lionair Flight 602, an Antonov An-24 aircraft went missing shortly after it took off from Jaffna in 1998, but resumed services in October 2002. [9]
Year | Award | Category | Nominated work | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|
1990 | Sarasaviya Award | Best Camera | Witness to a Killing – Janelaya | Won |
1999 | Presidential Awards | Best Picture | Pilgrimage - Theertha Yathra | Won |
2011 | New York International Television and Film Awards | Best Film | The Road from Elephant Pass | Won (Finalist Award) |
2013 | Madrid International Film Festival | Best Director | A Common Man | Won |
Steven Allan Spielberg, is an American film director, producer and screenwriter. A major figure of the New Hollywood era and pioneer of the modern blockbuster, he is the most commercially successful director in history. He is the recipient of many accolades, including three Academy Awards, two BAFTA Awards, nine Golden Globe Awards, and four Directors Guild of America Awards, as well as the AFI Life Achievement Award in 1995, the Kennedy Center Honor in 2006, the Cecil B. DeMille Award in 2009 and the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2015. Seven of his films have been inducted into the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as "culturally, historically or aesthetically significant".
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom is a 1984 American action-adventure film directed by Steven Spielberg from a script by Willard Huyck and Gloria Katz, based on a story by George Lucas. It is the second installment in the Indiana Jones film series, and a prequel to Raiders of the Lost Ark. The film features Harrison Ford who reprises his role as the title character. Kate Capshaw, Amrish Puri, Roshan Seth, Philip Stone and Ke Huy Quan, in his film debut, star in supporting roles. In the film, after arriving in British India, Indiana Jones is asked by desperate villagers to find a mystical stone and rescue their children from a Thuggee cult practicing child slavery, black magic, and ritual human sacrifice in honor of the goddess Kali.
The Sleeping Dictionary is a 2003 British-American romantic drama film written and directed by Guy Jenkin and starring Hugh Dancy, Jessica Alba, Brenda Blethyn, Emily Mortimer, and Bob Hoskins. The film is about a young Englishman who is sent to Sarawak, Malaysia, in the 1930s to become part of the British colonial government. There he encounters some unorthodox local traditions, and finds himself faced with tough decisions of the heart involving a beautiful young local woman who becomes the object of his affections. The Sleeping Dictionary was filmed on location in Sarawak.
Sri Lankan cinema encompasses the Sri Lankan film industry. It is a fledgling industry that has struggled to find a footing since its inauguration in 1947 with Kadawunu Poronduwa produced by S. M. Nayagam of Chitra Kala Movietone. Sri Lankan films are usually made in Sinhala and Tamil, the dominant languages of the country.
Lionair was an airline with its head office in the Asian Aviation Centre in Sri Lanka on the grounds of Ratmalana Airport near Colombo. It was a privately owned charter operator. Its main base was Ratmalana International Airport.
Jaffna International Airport, formerly known as Palaly Airport and Jaffna Airport, is an international airport serving northern Sri Lanka. It was also a military airbase known as Sri Lanka Air Force Palaly or SLAF Palaly. The airport is located in the town of Palaly near Kankesanthurai, 7 nautical miles north of the city of Jaffna. It is at an elevation of 10 m (34 ft) and has one runway designated 05/23 with an asphalt surface measuring 1,400 by 30 metres.
David Sydney Loku Palihakkara, popularly as Shesha Palihakkara, was a Sri Lankan dancer, film actor, and producer. He achieved critical recognition with a starring role in Lester James Peries' masterpiece Rekava and as producer of Getawarayo, Saravita and Ranmuthu Duwa.
Manipay or Maanippaai is an affluent town in the northern Jaffna District of Sri Lanka. The original name of Manipay is Periyapulam. It was a mission location when the American Ceylon Mission (ACM) came to Sri Lanka in the 19th century. Dr. Samuel Fisk Green founded the Green Memorial Hospital in 1864 in this village. It was also known as Manipai. There are number of schools in the village, some of which were founded by ACM. The 104-year-old Manipay Hindu College and the 53-year-old Manipay Hindu Ladies College, both High Schools, are prominent. The village also contains Hindu temples and churches. The Manipay Maruthady Pillaiyar Temple stands out.
Sarala Kariyawasam, who hails from Galle, is a former Sri Lankan child actress. A student of Sangamitta Balika Vidyalaya, Sarala is the first Sri Lankan child artist to make an international debut. Currently she hosts a children's TV show in Sri Lanka.
Lionair Flight 602 was a Lionair Antonov An-24RV which crashed into the sea off the north-western coast of Sri Lanka on 29 September 1998. The aircraft departed Jaffna Airport with 48 passengers and a crew of seven; it disappeared from radar screens ten minutes into the flight. Initial reports indicated that the plane had been shot down by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) using a man-portable surface-to-air missile, which has since been confirmed. All aboard were presumed killed.
Don Ruter Nanayakkara was a Sri Lankan actor in Sri Lankan cinema as well as in British drama. Playing lanky villains and comedic characters, Nanayakkara gained popularity in movies like Rekava, Kurulu Bedda and Sikuru Tharuwa. He also appeared as the old shaman in Steven Spielberg's 1984 Oscar-winning movie Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.
The Road from Elephant Pass is a 2008 Sri Lankan war film directed, written and produced by Chandran Rutnam based on the novel of the same name by Nihal De Silva about the Sri Lankan Civil War. It stars Suranga Ranawaka and Ashan Dias in lead roles along with Sanath Gunathilake and Joe Abeywickrama. The film's music was composed by Ajit Kumarasiri. It is the 1131st film in Sri Lankan cinema.
Asian Aviation Centre (AAC) is a private aerospace engineering and flying training academy in Sri Lanka.
A Common Man is a 2013 Sri Lankan action thriller film directed by Sri Lankan filmmaker Chandran Rutnam, starring Ben Kingsley and Ben Cross. The film is an official remake of the Indian film, A Wednesday! (2008).
Fort railway station is a major rail hub in Colombo, Sri Lanka. The station is served by Sri Lanka Railways, with many inter-city and commuter trains entering each day. Fort Station is the main rail gateway to central Colombo; it is the terminus of most intercity trains in the country.
Piyadasa Ariyasena Ediriweera (1915–1985) was a Sri Lankan travel agent, journalist and entrepreneur. Ediriweera Is credited as establishing Sri Lanka's first travel agency.
Jayam Rutnam is a Sri Lanka born American and the founder of the Sri Lanka America Association of Southern California (SLAASC) in 1973.
Me Wage Adarayak (A Love Like This) (මේ වගේ ආදරයක්) is a 2015 Sri Lankan Sinhala romantic film directed and produced by Chandran Rutnam for Taprobane Films. It stars Dinakshie Priyasad and Anuj Ranasinghe in lead roles along with Heshan Don and Kuma Aththanayake. Music composed by Chitral Somapala. The movie has elements that closely mirror Hollywood movie Love Story(1970) which is in turn based on the book by Erich Segal of the same name. It is the 1231st Sri Lankan film in the Sinhala cinema.
Mohammed Jalil Mohammed Harris, popularly known by his stage names Sando Harris and Sergeant Nallathambi, was an actor in Sri Lankan cinema, theater, and television. With a career spanned more than three decades, Sando was a popular comedian in theater and cinema. Apart from comedy acting, he was also a stunt actor, producer, director and singer.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)