Samanalee Fonseka
Samanalee Fonseka is a Sri Lankan actor. She holds a B.A digree from the University of Colombo and a Postgraduate diploma in fine arts from the University of Peradeniya. Samanalee following the footsteps of her aunt Malini Fonseka - the queen of Sri Lankan cinema. Fonseka is married to popular Sri Lankan singer Indrachapa Liyanage and daughter-in-law of the award winning actor Hemasiri Liyanage.
She entered the Sri Lankan film industry as a child artist at the age of five and made her acting debut with 'Paradisaya' by Dinesh Priyasad. Her maiden lead female role was in Aruna Gunarathne's tele-film 'Suriya Vinshthiya' when she was 16 years old. In 2004 she won the Best actress (Short Play) award at the State Drama Festival. Samanalee came to fame with her performance in prolific Sri Lankan filmmaker Prasanna Vithanage’s 'Akasa Kusum' (Flowers of the sky). Her signature films are 'Motor Bicycle' by Shameera Rangana Naotunna and 'Premaya nam' (Dirty, Yellow, Darkness) by Kalpana Ariyavansa and Vindana Ariyawansa, 'Nimnayaka Hudakalawa' (Alone in a valley) by Boodee Keerthisena, 'Dewena Vihangun' (Burning Birds) by Sanjeewa Pushpakumara.
Samanalee Fonseka has won the best actress award in many national film festivals for her role in the film 'Premaya nam' (Dirty, Yellow, Darkness) by Kalpana Ariyavansa and Vindana Ariyawansa in 2018. She also has won the best actress in a supporting role for the fiml 'Dewena Vihangun' (Burning Birds) by Sanjeewa Pushpakumara in 2019 at many national award ceremonies. For the role she played in 'Motor Bicycle' by Shameera Rangana Naotunna, she has won several special jury awards for acting.
Some of her upcoming feature films are 'Awilena Sului' (Inflammable) by Chinthana Dharmadasa, 'Soosthi' by Kushan Weeraratne, 'Wisangamanaya' (Isolation) by Ranjan Prasanna.
Fonseka is also a social activist who stands against racism, gender inequality and more social issues in Sri Lanka. She was attacked while raising her voice against Rajapaksa government during the presidential election in 2015.[1]
Awards
- Special Jury Award for Best Actress -Presidential Film Awards 2016 Motor Bicycle
- Special Jury Award for Best Actress - Derana Film Awards 2017 [2] Motor Bicycle
- Award for Best Actress - Sarasaviya Awards 2018 for Premaya Nam
- Award for Best Actress - Signis Sri Lanka Awards 2018 for Premaya Nam
- Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role - Derana Film Awards 2019[3] Burning Birds (දැවෙන විහඟුන්)
- Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role -Presidential Film Awards 2018Burning Birds (දැවෙන විහඟුන්)
- Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role -Signis Sri Lanka Awards 2019Burning Birds (දැවෙන විහඟුන්)
Filmography
| Year | Film | Role | Director | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | Prathingya | |||
| 2008 | Akasa Kusum | Bunty | ||
| 2008 | Heart FM | Uththara | ||
| 2016 | Motor Bicycle | Taniya | ||
| 2016 | Davena Wihagun | Wasana | ||
| 2017 | Premaya Nam | Samadhi | ||
| 2017 | Nimnayaka Hudekalawa | Maya | ||
| 2020 | Avilena Sului | [4] | ||
| TBD | Bahuchithawadiya | Kumari | Malaka Dewapriya |
References
- ^ "Samanalee Fonseka Attacked In Kurunegala". Asianmirror.lk. Retrieved 9 October 2017.
- ^ "Fifth Derana Sunsilk Film Awards 2017 - Winners". Adaderana.lk. Retrieved 9 October 2017.
- ^ http://www.adaderana.lk/news/56065/according-to-matthew-wins-best-film-at-derana-lux-film-awards-2019
- ^ "Two strangers on the same road". Sarasaviya. Retrieved 12 March 2020.