Ekanayake made her film debut in the 1988 film “Dedunne Samanaliyak,” which instantly catapulted her to stardom in Sri Lanka, a status she enjoys to this day. One of the country’s most popular commercial film stars, Ekanayake proved she was a serious actress in Asoka Handagama’s debut, “Me Mage Sandai (This Is My Moon”). Ever since, she has been mixing more commercial fare with serious roles, with her powerful turn in Sudath Mahadivulwewa’s “Sudu, Kalu Saha Alu” winning her Best Actress at the Sarasavi Film Awards.
With a career spanning over four decades, Malini Fonseka is undoubtedly the queen of the Sri Lankan cinema. Making her acting debut in 1967, she has starred in more than 150 feature films to date – not including television and stage appearances. Having worked with Sri Lanka’s finest directors, she has won accolades both locally and internationally. Apart from her acting career, Fonseka also has produced and directed dramas for television. Her acting career continues without a break, with appearances in many films and tele-dramas to this day.
Nimmi Harasgama was born to Sri Lankan parents, but grew up in the UK, where she cultivated her love for acting and performance from an early age. For her first Sinhala-speaking film role, in Prasanna Vithanage’s “Ira Madiyama (August Sun) (2003), she won Best Actress at the Las Palmas Film Festival in 2004. Having done her BA (Hons.) in Drama, Theatre Arts from Goldsmiths College in London, Nimmi was also awarded a scholarship to participate in an Acting in Film Workshop at the New York Film Academy. She now divides her time between London and Colombo. Most of Nimmi’s acting work has been on the English speaking stage, both in Sri Lanka and the UK.
Since her debut in 1997, Jayani Senanayake has proven herself to be one of Sri Lanka’s finest actresses. A three-time Best Actress winner at the State Drama Festival, Senanayake is today involved in theatre, television and film. Recently she played vastly different roles in Asoka Handagama’s controversial “Aksharaya (Letter of Fire)” and Uberto Pasolini’s caper comedy “Machan.”
Coming from one of Sri Lanka’s most famous acting families, Samanalee Fonseka was exposed to the world of cinema at a very early age, through her legendary aunt, Malini Fonseka. Making her acting debut at age 6 in Dinesh Priyasad’s “Paaradise,” she has been acting in television, theatre and film ever since. Prolific as an actress, Samanalee starred in a string of films and tele-dramas in the past year, including the popular soap Olu and the award-winning tele drama ‘Rala Bindena Thana.’ She also was in Senesh Bandara Dissanaike’s “Heart FM,” Prasanna Vithanage’s “Akasa Kusum” and Boodee Keerthisena’s “Children of a Silent Age.”
Kaushalya Fernando is an outstanding stage, screen and television actress. She has won many awards for her performances in all three fields. She is also an award wining stage theatre director. She is a drama teacher at the Lanka children’s and Youth Theatre Foundation. Her film career starts in 1996, playing the lead role in Asoka Handagama’s “Sanda Dadayama” (Moon Hunt). She won international acclaim by playing the lead roles in Satyajith Maitipe’s “Boradiya Pokuna” (Scent of the Lotus Pond) in 2003 and Vimukthi Jayasundara’s “Sulanga Enu Pinisa” (Forsaken Land) in 2004. The latter won the Camera d’ Or award at 58th Cannes International Film Festival, France 2005. In 2008 Kaushalya played in “Fallen from the Sky”, Vimukthi’s 2nd film and “Akasa Kusum” (Flowers of the Sky) by Prasanna Vithange.