A movie on the marginalised section of the society
Much awaited movie ‘Swara’ or ‘Seven Notes’ carrying a themes relating to music and social issues of HIV/STD and their victims is now being shown in theatres around the country.
Based on a story written by Yolanda Weerasinghe and directed by Sanajaya Nirmal, the film reveals the inspiration shown by people living with HIV/AIDS and it is coproduced by Manohan Nanayakkara, Chairman of Asia Digital Entertainment and award winning actress Nita Fernando.
Starring Sachini Ayendra Mahipala, Anusha Rajapakse, Damitha Abeyrathne, W.Jayasiri, Diluni Mallawaarchi and internationally awarded Nita herself in the main cast, ‘Swara’ deals with the sorry plight of Sri Lankan migrant workers (particularly women), ignorance of HIV/ AIDS and STD, child abuse and adverse impact of globalisation particularly on vulnerable sections of the population such as women and children. With its global appeal, the film was selected to represent Sri Lanka at a special section of the 5th Jaipur International Film
Festival in 2013 and it won the Green Rose Award for a film with a Global message.
Prabath Roshan-director of photography with Lal Dissanayake and Nanda Jayakody as editors, Manjula Ayagama art director, Channa Wijewardana doing the choreography and Dayasiri Jayasekara, Pradeepa Dharmadasa, Nirosha Virajini, Ranjan Saliya and Natalie Gooneratne have rendered their voices in the playback singing.
Organised by the National STD/AIDs Control Programme (NSACP), The Family Planning Association of Sri Lanka (FPA) and the Living with Hope Foundation and supported by the Sustainability of HIV Services for Key Population in South Asia Programme (SKPA-2), implemented by FPA and managed by Health Equity Matters a special screening of the film was done recently.
Sri Lanka’s first Smart Reading Hotel
With sustainability increasingly taking centre stage in the hospitality industry, hotel chains worldwide are implementing innovative strategies to ‘Go Green’ in every possible way. In this direction, Courtyard by Marriott Colombo has partnered with Magzter, the World’s largest digital reading destination, to become Sri Lanka’s first Smart Reading Hotel. The hotel now offers guests unlimited access to digital magazines and newspapers via Magzter during their stay.
Under this partnership, Magzter has converted the entire premises of Courtyard by Marriott Colombo into a touch-free and contactless Magzter Smart Reading Zone®. Anyone inside the hotel premises, including in-house guests, customers of other services, visitors and employees, can now get unlimited access to 8,000+ leading magazines and newspapers on the Magzter app. When guests are at the hotel, they can open the Magzter app, go to “SRZ” tab, grant location permission for the app and get free unlimited reading access.
Apart from binge- reading their favourite magazines and newspapers when they are at the hotel, guests can also download their favorite titles and access them offline when they go around the city for sightseeing or take a flight to their next destination.
Magzter offers thousands of popular magazines and newspapers across 40+ categories including automotive, business, comics, entertainment, fashion, health, lifestyle, news, politics, science, sports, technology and travel. Therefore, there is something exciting to read for everyone across all age groups.
Some of the popular Sri Lankan titles that can be read by guests at Courtyard by Marriott Colombo include Daily Mirror, The Island, Business Today, Lanka Woman, Explore Sri Lanka, Sirikatha, Lankadeepa and Divaina. Magzter also offers several global best- selling titles such as Time magazine, Newsweek, Car & Driver, India Today, Hello!, T3, The Guardian, Cosmopolitan, Vogue, Elle, GQ, Her World, Forbes and Reader’s Digest, ensuring that guests will be thoroughly engaged.
At the forefront of the digital reading revolution, Magzter has already made a positive impact on the environment, saving tens of thousands of trees and various other natural resources. The collaboration with Courtyard by Marriott Colombo exemplifies Magzter’s dedication to providing an eco-friendly reading experience. With its global footprint expanding, the Smart Reading Hotel initiative is poised to revolutionise the guest experience, offering an innovative and sustainable approach to hospitality.
Printed and published by Wijeya Newspapers Ltd. on Sunday December 3, 2023 at No. 8, Hunupitiya Cross Road, Colombo 2.