Born in 1996, Malindu Kavinda Kumarasinghe had his education at Shariputhra Primary School Dummalasuriya, Central College Kuliyapitiya, Thurstan College, Colombo and Ananda College, Colombo. He did his A/L’s in the mathematics stream in 2015. He holds an honour’s degree in film and television from the University of Kelaniya. Malindu’s international mark in short films has become the hot topic for Sri Lankans.
Films
The bond between films and Malindu is inseparable. Malindu who has a passion for making films even in his school days has made several films with his friends at home. It would be correct to say that Malindu lives with films. His maiden cinematic creation was “Last Chance” which paved the way for many chances. At the time, he might not have thought that his short films would garner the global recognition. “A Day After Revolution” is another film directed by Malindu for his final year assignment. He won the Best Director Award for the short film “A Day After Revolution” at the Ashaa International Film Festival in India.
In 2020, Malindu made another five minute short film titled “Left Right” for the “Focus On the Ability” international film festival. “Left Right” was selected to compete with the top five films at the Focus On the Ability international film festival. No doubt that his “Smiling Roses” which won the international acclaim can be regarded as a milestone in his career as a filmmaker. The short documentary “Smiling Roses” competed with 97 films from 21 countries and won the International Most Online Votes Award at the “Focus on the Ability” international film festival in Australia.
“Smiling Roses”
Malindu’s short documentary ‘Smiling Roses’ has been woven around a differently-abled woman who has a great determination. What he wanted to convey through his short documentary is the fact that anyone with disabilities can face challenges and obstacles positively without getting disheartened. Evidently, Malindu has succeeded in achieving his goal. According to Malindu, what is indispensable for a film is concept. Technology is used to bring out that concept through the camera. “I made “Smiling Roses” with a smart phone. I gave the first priority to the concept of the film,” Malindu said.
Challenges
“I had to face many challenges and obstacles in making the short documentary ‘Smiling Roses’ in the Covid-19 pandemic situation. Making films is a team work. We have to work with others. But under this trying condition, it was a great challenge for me. I am satisfied with what I have achieved,” Malindu said.
Future plans
When I asked about his future plans, Malindu said that he has a kindling enthusiasm in making experimental films based on a new concept. “I have an idea of entering the field of teledramas and want to make an experimental film which is about making films in a pandemic situation. It will be released in the near future,” Malindu said.
Not only as a filmmaker, but also as a writer, Malindu has proven his skills. His maiden poetry collection titled “Gihin Ennam Namali” and short story “Man Mawataka Mataka Miminilla” will bear testimony to his hidden writer. “Although I did mathematics at my A/L’s, I used to pen poems on the back cover of my note book,” Malindu said. He said there are fewer avenues for filmmakers in the country. The film industry once thriving has collapsed. “We had stars in the Sri Lankan film industry such as Gamini- Malini, Vijaya and Joe Abeywickrama, but we can’t see such stars now. Our film industry has collapsed due to different reasons. In other countries, there are institutes for people to study cinema,” Malindu said.
Message
Malindu is one of the most talented filmmakers, who has garnered the global recognition for his films. Surely, his message for budding filmmakers will fuel the enthusiasm of upcoming filmmakers. “First, we should be able to understand one’s emotions and feelings. If we can empathise even with our enemies, that is the key to become a filmmaker.” No doubt, our talented filmmakers such as Malindu, Hasantha and Lakpathy can brighten the future of the Sri Lankan film industry.