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"Just Around the River Bend" - "Bringing Culture to Life" - A Music Video

Just Around the River bend......

This musical evening of culture is brought to life by one of Sri Lanka's up and coming vocalist and entertainer with a passionate voice, who is also a physician. The evening highlights the glory of the ancient Sri Lanka's culture, music, and people with a tribute to the "river of flower garden".

This musical evening highlights and brings the story of one of the oldest living civilizations of the world to life. The greatest civilizations of the world are born along rivers. The use of water plays a vital part in nurturing them and enabling them to grow. At the heart of one of the oldest living cultures in the world - Sri Lanka - there is a river that nurtured the early culture, communities and kingdoms - a “river of flower gardens”, the Malwatu Oya. This is the musical evening that brought the story of that river and the culture of ancient Sri Lanka to life in Colombo, Sri Lanka.

  • Dr. SinhaRaja Tammita-Delgoda
    Director
    Concept and Design
  • Nandana Sitinamaluwe
    Producer
    Editor
  • Moon Works Motion Pictures
    Producer
    Videography
  • Shanika Weerasundara
    Producer
    Executive Producer
  • Dr. Nilanka Anjalee Wickramasinghe
    Key Cast
    "Vocalist"
  • Shashen Fernando
    Key Cast
    "Emcee (male)"
  • Nimashya Rathnayaka
    Key Cast
    "Emcee (female)"
  • Thilini Wickramasinghe
    Key Cast
    "Poet"
  • Project Type:
    Music Video
  • Genres:
    Misical, culture, evening entertainment
  • Runtime:
    45 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    October 31, 2021
  • Production Budget:
    9,300 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    Sri Lanka
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16.9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Malwatu Oya Soya Launch Musical
    Colombo
    Sri Lanka
Distribution Information
  • TeqLaa Solutions
    Distributor
    Country: United States
    Rights: All Rights
Director Biography - Dr. SinhaRaja Tammita-Delgoda

Dr. SinhaRaja Tammita-Delgoda
B.A Hons History (Wales), M.A Medieval Studies (York), Ph. D History (Kings College, London), Fellow of the Royal Asiatic Society (UK & Sri Lanka)

A Film Director, Artist, & Historian, SinhaRaja Tammita-Delgoda is a contributor to the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography and the University of Peradeniya History of Sri Lanka (Vol. II). This is Dr. Delgoda's first attempt into the film making.
His 1st book, A Travellers History of India (UK, USA, 1994), is now in its 4th edition worldwide. He is the Author of several major works on Sri Lanka’s artistic and cultural heritage, The World of Stanley Kirinde (2005), Ridi Vihare, The Flowering of Kandyan Art (2007) and Eloquence in Stone. The Lithic Saga of Sri Lanka (2008) in collaboration with Sri Lanka’s most famous photographer Nihal Fernando and Studio Times. He has taught and lectured in the USA, UK, India and Sri Lanka and 2006 he conducted the 1st ever course on Sri Lanka’s Art and Architecture at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, USA (2006).

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Director Statement

This musical is made to highlight the rich cultural heritage of South Asia and its pearl - Sri Lanka during the launch ceremony of the short historical film about one of the most ancient rivers of Sri Lanka - "In Search of the Malwatu Oya". Presenting the evening to the audience in musical tone is by one of the prominent vocalist of Sri Lanka, Dr. Nilanka Anjalee Wickramasinghe.

Civilizations are born along rivers. The greatest civilizations of the ancient world, Mesopotamia, Egypt, India and China all have their roots on the banks of rivers. The use of water played a vital part in nurturing them and enabling them to grow. Of the ancient cultures, only a few are still alive and living.

In Sri Lanka too, there is an ancient civilization with river at the core of its story. Here too, the culture that this river sustained is old and living. It is now more than two thousand five hundred (2500) years old. This culture however is mostly unknown in the modern times. The foundation of this culture too was water - the source of its wealth, its vitality and its art.

A Journey in Search of the Malwatu Oya is a Journey to the Heart of an Ancient Civilization. It is also an exploration of ourselves. We invite you to come join us in that exploration!

(The team members who joined this journey with me: Hiranya Malwatta, Tharindu Amunugamuwa, Eduard Hempel, Thilini Wickramasinghe, Nandana Sitinamaluwe, and Shanika Weerasundara.)

Thank you Dr. Nilanka Anjalee, for your beautiful voice performing this evening with no charge.

(Our journey is adorned by the glorious music of the internationally acclaimed sitarist Pradeep Rathnayaka and the beautiful opening and closing songs of the oriental vocalist and singer Malani Bulathsinhala. Thank you for allowing us to use your creations.)