The 2020 Sri Lankan Sinhala drama thriller film “The Newspaper” (Sinhala: ද නිවුස් පේපර්) was co-directed by Sarath Kothalawala and Kumara Thirimadura. The film was produced by Bandula Gunawardane along with Ravindra Guruge and H.D. Premasiri. The lead roles were played by both directors Kothalawala and Thirimadura, with supporting performances from Gihan Fernando, Dharmapriya Dias, and Pubudu Chathuranga. The music for the film was composed by Gayathri Khemadasa.
A special screening of the film was held at the Savoy Premier Hall in Wellawatte on June 29, 2020, and another special screening was held on July 24, 2020, at the Wilmax Cinema Hall in Anuradhapura. Additionally, a special screening and dialogue session of the film took place on September 3, 2020, at the Savoy Premiere (Roxy) Cinema Hall in Wellawatte.
Awards
Critics responded positively to the film, and in December 2020, the DVD was released at the Sarasavi Bookshop premises at the One Galle Face Shopping Complex in Colombo. At the 2022 Bengaluru International Film Festival (BIFFes), the film won second place in the Asian Cinema Competition, and in May 2022, it earned the Best Director award at the 23rd Rainbow Film Festival in London.
The film has also been nominated for the “Best Indian Sub-continental Film” award at the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne. In September 2022, Thirimadura and Kothalawala were jointly awarded Best Actor at the 18th Kazan International Film Festival.
| Directed by | Sarath Kothalawala, Kumara Thirimadura, |
|---|---|
| Written by | Sarath Kothalawala Kumara Thirimadura |
| Produced by | Bandula Gunawardane Ravindra Guruge H.D. Premasiri |
| Starring | Sarath Kothalawala, Kumara Thirimadura, Gihan Fernando, Dharmapriya Dias, |
| Cinematography | Chandana Jayasinghe |
| Edited by | Rukmal Nirosh |
| Music by | Gayathri Khemadasa |
| Distributed by | EAP Theaters |
| Release date | 2 July 2020 |
| Running time | 103 minutes |
| Country | Sri Lanka |
| Language | Sinhala |