Private Project

End of the hunt

SYNOPSIS
Dada Ima (End of the Hunt)
PROLOGUE
An innocent village damsel Rathmalie was murdered by her fiance’, Priyankara, who runs over her in his car, was screened as the award winning and Internationally acclaimed Sinhala film ‘Dadayama’ (The Hunt) in 1985 in Sri Lanka (Directed by Wasantha Obeysekara). This film was based on a true story which took placed many years back in which the accused was found guilty and sentenced to death by Supreme Court in Sri Lanka.
Rathmalie's role was done by Ms Swarna Mallawarachchi for which she won the best actress award in many film festivals then. After 30 years, Ms Mallawarachchi is acting again in this new movie, 'End of the hunt' (Dada Ima) as Rathmalie's sister (Rohini).

MOVIE – ‘Dada Ima’ (End of the Hunt)
Dada Ima is a Sequel Drama genre movie, fictitiously based on 3 decade old ‘Dadayama’ film.
After Rathmalie’s demise, the custody of their one-year old son (Ravinath) falls under her sister, Rohini. Rohini without disclosing the truth about his parents to Ravinath, lives with him in Europe after leaving the motherland in 1986. Her reluctance to return to Sri Lanka is governed by her fears and disgust of a haunting past of her sister’s catastrophic death.
Priyankara, meanwhile, has absconded the legal repercussions by concealing the murder of Rathmalie for 30 years, and was residing in the UK under a false identity. After completing his education there, he now has come back to Sri Lanka as Keerthi Gajanayaka, a well-known President’s Counsel.
In the background of these past events, three decades of silence is shattered as Ravinath, who is now a renowned pianist is invited to perform at a concert in Sri Lanka. During his stay, he has a fateful encounter with Keerthi Gajanayake. Ravinath not realizing Keerthi to be his father, confronts him following a dream he sees, which is mixed with some past events of his “mother’s” brutal murder. When Rohini understands that Priyankara, aka Keerthi is still alive, she decides to join her “son”, with the aims of discovering the truth about her sister’s murder, and to hide the malevolent past from Ravinath.
‘Dada Ima’ (End of the Hunt), smoothly unfolds the secrets of the past, and depicts that no one escapes punishment after committing a crime during his lifetime.

  • Dr Naomal Perera
    Director
    Best Debut Direction - End of the Hunt. Calcutta International Cult Film festival 2020
  • Dr Naomal Perera
    Writer
    Nice International Film Festival 2020 - Nominated for Best Original screenplay (Foreign Films)
  • Dr Naomal Perera, Nishani Fernando
    Producer
  • Swarna Mallawarachchi
    Key Cast
    "Rohini Kekulawela"
  • Jackson Anthony
    Key Cast
    "Keerthi Gajanayaka aka Priyankara Jayanath "
  • Mahendra Perera
    Key Cast
    "Sunil"
  • Akhila Danuddara
    Key Cast
    "Ravinath Kekulawela"
  • Marion Wettasinghe
    Key Cast
    "Dedu"
  • Project Title (Original Language):
    Dada ima
  • Project Type:
    Feature
  • Runtime:
    2 hours
  • Completion Date:
    August 31, 2019
  • Production Budget:
    200,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    Sri Lanka
  • Country of Filming:
    Sri Lanka
  • Language:
    Sinhala
  • Shooting Format:
    Red 6k
  • Aspect Ratio:
    1:2.39
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Calcutta International Cult Film Festival
    Calcutta
    India
    Winner Debut Direction
  • Rome Independent Prisma Awards
    Rome
    Italy
    Official Selection
  • Florence Film Awards
    Florence
    Italy
    Official Selection
  • Canadian Cinematography awards

    Canada
    Finalist
  • World Film Carnival Singapore
    Singapore
    Singapore
    Best Debut Direction
  • Asian Cinematography AWARDS (ACA)
    Manila
    Philippines
    Finalist
  • Nice International Film Festival
    Nice
    France
    Nominated
  • Worldfest - Houston International Film Festival
    Houston
    United States
    Silver Remi Award
Director Biography - Dr Naomal Perera

I am an Oncological Surgeon coming from a family in the industry of cinema, with a passion in Cinematography. I have already directed a short film in 2014, which was telecast on National television ‘Derana’ in Sri Lanka.
Dada Ima (End of the Hunt) is my first feature film.
The script was written by me and was the art director too. Internationally award-winning cast, Swarna Mallawarachchi and Jackson Anthony plays the main roles in this movie.
It is sequel (Genre – Sequel drama) to another award-winning feature film screened in 1985 named Dadayama (The hunt) in Sri Lanka. In fact, 30 years back, Swarna won the best actress award in that film which was Directed by Wasantha Obeysekara. My story starts after a 30-year gap of silence in the story of Dadayama.
This may be the first ever film made in the World where the same actress act in the same sequel film (continuation of the same story) with a gap of over 30 years.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

As my first direction of a feature film, it was a challenge to do the first ever sequel movie in Sri Lanka. In fact there are very few films made in the World in the genre of Sequel Drama.
The story of my movie followed another award winning film produced 30 years ago (in 1985) in Sri Lanka. The former story was based on a true crime which occurred during that era.
In my movie, I used few shots from the former movie named Dadayama (the hunt) as flashbacks. The other milestone is the same actress who acted in 1985, plays the role of her sister in my film, almost more than 30 years afterwards. Further the present timeline is 30 years afterwards than the former film.
Hence it was a great challenge to me to Direct this film without tarnishing the image of the former feature film and its credibility.