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Born in 1962, Prasanna Vithanage became involved in theatre on leaving school.
He translated and directed Bernard Shaw’s “Arms and the Man” in 1986, and Dario Fo’s
“Trumpets and Raspberries” in 1991.
In 1992, he directed his first film “Sisila Gini Gani” (Ice of Fire). It won nine OCIC
Awards (Sri Lanka) including Best Director, Best Actor and Best Actress.
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Four years later in 1996 he wrote and directed the second film“Anantha Rathriya” (Dark
Night of the Soul). It was based on Leo Tolstoy’s last novel “Resurrection”. It
participated in several international film festivals and won a Jury’s Special Mention at
the First Pusan International Film Festival. The film also won all the main awards at the
1996 Sri Lanka Film Critics Forum Awards (affiliated with FIPRESCI) including awards
for Most Outstanding Film, Best Director and Best Screenwriter.
“Pawuru Walalu” (Walls Within), his third feature in 1997 won the Best Actress Award at
the 1998 Singapore International Film Festival. It even won ten out of eleven awards
including Best Picture and Best Director at the Sri Lanka Film Critics Forum Awards.
His fourth feature “Purahanda Kaluwara” (Death on a Full Moon Day) of the same year,
1997, which he wrote and directed was produced by NHK (Japanese Broadcasting
Corporation). It won the Grand Prix at the Amiens Film Festival. Initially banned by the
minister in charge of film industry, it was released after a yearlong legal battle. It was given the release under the supreme court verdict. Since it has become one of the most successful film in the more than half a century history of cinema in Sri Lanka.
Prasanna Vithanage completed “Ira Madiyama” (August Sun) his fifth film in 2003. It
went on to win many international awards and was featured prominently in the world
festival circuit.
In 2007, Vithanage co-produced the hit film “Machan” a comedy about a group of
working class con artists posing as a handball team, directed by “The Full Monty”
producer Uberto Pasolini. “Machan” premiered at the 65th Venice Film Festival in 2008.
2008 also saw the world premiere of Prasanna Vithanage’s sixth feature film as director,
“Akasa Kusum” (Flowers of the Sky) in Pusan, Korea and screened over thirty film
festivals to wide acclaim winning numerous international awards.
Prasanna Vithanage developed a script for historical epic children of the sun for
bohemian films and preparing for his first documentary for Delhi film archive.
 http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0900013/
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