A cinematic journey across Lanka’s history
Award winning playwright M. Safeer’s debut film, a travelogue ‘mama Nowei’- ‘Hereafter Bygone’ is ready for release.
Based on a visual story of a lady around 50 years of age, recollecting her past, the film travels along the unforgettable incidents in her life.
The story is narrates around her journey with a hired driver who later becomes a partner in the journey.During a several days’ long journey, while going back to her own personal connection with various locations around Sri Lanka, she connects them to social, cultural religious and political events that took place over the history.
Both characters are twofold. An effort has been taken to analyze two social strata; lady on one side and the driver on the other. However during this journey through the conversations with the driver, her despondency, happiness, anger, contentment and her detachment is shown.
The two characters are played by talented DhilhaniEkanayakeand SanjeewaUpendra. Dilhani has been in cinema for over three decades and has received acclaims locally and internationally for her performances. Sanjeewais a playwright and an actor in theatres, teledrama and cinema. Other supporting roles are played by HiroshaniSamanthikaGamage andKeshanSethunga. The background voicing is done by M. Shafraz
Filmmaker, Safeer is an award winning theatre director and a pioneer who introducedconcepts of Black Box Theatre and Forum theatre to SriLanka. Founder of the Colombo International Theatre Festival, an annual theatre event organized since 2012, Safeer is a writer and a publisher.
He worked as a consultant and director programmer in numerous international organizations. In 2013 he was invited by FLAME University of Pune (Foundation for Liberal Arts andManagement Education) in India for a workshop on physical theater with the students. At the endof the seminar a play created by him was shown to the participants/ students.
Invited by the Director of Culture and Art of the State of Goa, in India, in 2015 he produced and directed three nonverbal monologues with artistes from Goa. He has directed more than 40 productions including 5 International theatreproductions, monologues, dance and contemporary productions over the last three decades.Safeer is a member of the committee nominated by the Prime Minister to monitor theconstruction of John de Silva theatre and many more theatres spread around the island in 2016.
He is a member of the Executive Committee of National Federation of Theatre Artists in Sri Lanka(NFTAS).
Behind the screen music direction is by DuminduKadigamuwa and sound designer is TharakaBaddage, executive producer is SujeewaPathinisekara, director of photography is SuranBopitiya, editor and colour grading by AsankaWickramasiri and the film is co-produced by MaheelMadusanka, TharinduIlleperuma, SampathRajapaksha, NiroshKavirathna and SujeewaPathinisekara.
Presented by Inter Act Art, the screen play of the film is written by M. Safeer.