Gratiaen Prize
1 appearances
Visakesa Chandrasekaram
ヴィサケサ・チャンドラセカラム
Visakesa Chandrasekaram
Profile
- Gender
- Male
- Nationality
- Sri Lankan
- Languages
- Sinhala, Tamil, English
- Residence History
- Sri Lanka → Australia
Career
- Occupations
- film director, community law practitioner, human rights lawyer, activist, writer, novelist, dramatist, songwriter, artist, stage performer, academic
- Active Years
- 1999-2023
- Affiliations
- University of Colombo, Faculty of Law, University of New South Wales, Faculty of Law
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australian National University | — | — | honorary doctorate | — | Australia |
Australian National University
Degree:
honorary doctorate
Country:
Australia
In recognition of research on confessionary evidence under counter-terrorism rules in Sri Lanka
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Gratiaen Prize | Forbidden Area | — | — | winner |
| 2000 | National Literary Award | Thahanam Adaviya | — | — | winner |
| 2015 | National Fairway Award | The King and the Assassin | — | — | winner |
| 2016 | 19th Presidential Awards | Frangipani | best script | — | winner |
| 2023 | International Film Festival Rotterdam | Munnel | — | — | Special Jury Award |
Gratiaen Prize
1999
Work:
Forbidden Area
Result:
winner
National Literary Award
2000
Work:
Thahanam Adaviya
Result:
winner
National Fairway Award
2015
Work:
The King and the Assassin
Result:
winner
19th Presidential Awards
2016
Work:
Frangipani
Category:
best script
Result:
winner
International Film Festival Rotterdam
2023
Work:
Munnel
Result:
Special Jury Award
Awards & Nominations
Works
Major Works
Forbidden Area
1999 playA play addressing themes related to Sri Lankan civil war.
marginalized communitiesvictims' experiences
Devadasi
2000 playTragic tale of dancing girls.
artstradition
Tigers Don't Confess
2011 novelProsecution of Tamil Tiger suspects.
terrorismLTTE
The King and the Assassin
2015 novelFrangipani
2016 filmFirst Sri Lankan film about LGBT community.
LGBT rightshomosexuality
Paangshu
2018 filmStory of a laundrywoman pleading for her abducted son during 1987–1989 JVP insurrection.
disappearedmotherhood
Munnel
2023 filmFormer rebel accused of LTTE links returns home after bail.
rebelsoothsaying
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- Cinematic storytelling portraying experiences faced by victims and marginalized communities
- Recurring Motifs
- social oppressionhuman rights issuesLGBTcivil war trauma
Legacy
Sri Lankan filmmaker and writer known for portraying victims and marginalized communities, winner of Gratiaen Prize, pioneer in LGBT themes.