The Newspaper (2020)

Directed by Sarath Kothalawala, Kumara Thirimadura Written by Sarath Kothalawala, Kumara Thirimadura Starring Jayantha Amarasinghe, Ananda Athukorala, Sarath Chandrasiri

The Newspaper (2020), directed and written by Sarath Kothalawala and Kumara Thirimadura, stars Jayantha Amarasinghe, Ananda Athukorala, and Sarath Chandrasiri. The film tells the story of a poor family living in a remote village in Sri Lanka’s dry zone, whose lives are turned upside down after a false news report is published in the national media. The report wrongly claims that their son was involved in a suicide bomb attack carried out by LTTE terrorists. This devastating error leads the family into a series of hardships, as they struggle to cope with the societal repercussions of the false accusation.

Synopsis

Guna, a kind-hearted and principled man, lives a humble life with his mother, free from burdening society. However, their peaceful existence is shattered when a local newspaper falsely brands Guna’s family as terrorists. The villagers, enraged by the misinformation, brutally attack Guna, burn down his house, and ostracize his family. Crippled and confined to a makeshift wheelchair, Guna struggles to survive in poverty, supported only by his loyal friend Luvis. When Guna discovers a fragment of a newspaper article clearing his brother’s name, he embarks on a mission to have the truth published to redeem his family. Accompanied by Luvis, Guna faces countless obstacles as newspaper offices reject their plea. A young journalist, Tharushi, lends them a helping hand, but their journey takes a dangerous turn when they are targeted by criminals seeking revenge for exposing a robbery. Despite securing a promise from a newspaper editor to publish the corrected story, Guna’s life ends in tragedy when he is mistaken for a drug dealer and killed at Fort Station while trying to return to his village. His death, alongside that of his mother, leaves Luvis as the lone survivor to honor Guna’s memory. The following day, a newspaper ironically publishes a false headline branding Guna, an innocent man, as a criminal, highlighting the tragic and cyclical consequences of unchecked misinformation.

Highlights and Recognition

second best film in the Asian Cinema Competition at the 2022 Bengaluru International Film Festival (BIFFes)

– Language

Sinhala

– Runtime

1 hour 30 minutes

– Country of Origin

Sri Lanka

-Release Date

July 02, 2020

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