About

 

Waruni Anuruddhika is an independent Sri Lankan filmmaker, art photographer and researcher . She began her career as an art photographer in 1996. She followed a three-year diploma course at the National Photographic Art Society of Sri Lanka. Her first solo photography exhibition, ‘Contested Space’ was held in 2007 at the Harold Peiris Gallery, Colombo. Waruni has focused on filmmaking since 2011. She completed a diploma specializing in cinematography in film and television at the Sri Lanka Television Training Institute. In 2012 she was awarded by International Movies that Matters in Netherlands. Her most distinguished films include: ‘Sea is our life’ ‘Victoria Home’ and ‘Children of Cemetery Dwellers’.  These works have garnered her international recognition as a documentary filmmaker. ‘Gifts and Visions’ is her first feature length documentary.  It has contributed to research about human tissue donation in Sri Lanka, which was studied by Professor Bob Simpson, at Department of Anthropology, University of Durham UK. In 2015 She participated in the photographic exhibition ‘(i)mage ‘ with three other artists, which was held at Theertha Red Dot Gallery in Colombo. At the same year Waruni took part as a guest filmmaker and speaker at the Asian Research Institute in National University Singapore. Currently she is continue a research for a photographic book on ritualistic worship of goddess ‘pattini’ by marginalized community in urban Sri Lanka which is based on her documentary film ’Children of Cemetery Dwellers’. The project granted her Fulbright professional scholarship award 2016-2017. Two of her solo photographic exhibitions related to the same research, ‘Pattini’ and ‘Look at Me’: A photographic journey through the ritualistic worship of Goddess Pattini  were held at at Mario Einaudi Center for International studies and Willard Straight Gallery in Cornell University in May 2017. Her upcoming solo exhibition and documentary film ‘Pain and Memory’ focused on displacement and disappearance in Sri Lanka. Currently  her images are exhibiting on invited category  World photography day celebration exhibition: “FRAMES-2020”on-line global photography exhibition; Organized by Gayoor Art Foundation in India.   

Solo Exhibition

 

2017         Look at Me – Willad Strat Gallery , University of Cornell USA

2017     Pattini; A Photographic Journey Through the Ritualistic Worship of  Goddess           Pattini .   Mario Einaudi Centre for International Studies , University of Cornell USA

2007      ‘Contested Space’: A Photographic Exhibition of exploring the multiple    histories of ancient Anuradhapura in Sri Lanka, exhibited at Lionel Wendt in Colombo , Sri Lanka

Professional Positions

2019       Facilitator – The session  ‘Photography as a research methodology’ – Summer School program was held in Marndresa Btticaloa with a collaborative partnership of Goldsmiths University UK, Eastern University Batticaloa and Law and Society trust Colombo in August 2019

2019       Director of Photography / Media Coordinator / Social media curator – ‘Caligula’Theatre production Sri Lanka2019(https://www.facebook.com/Caligula2019/)

2017       Visiting Scholar University of Cornell – USA  2017

2013-2014     Program Coordinator / Visiting Lecturer – Film appreciation program; Eastern University of Sri Lanka – organized by Centre for Sri Lankan Studies, funded by US Embassy Sri Lanka

2012       Coordinator / Instructor Film appreciation program conducted by Cultural Centre Madukanda, Vavuniya Northern Province –  Sri Lanka

2011- Present    Blogger  https://warunic.wordpress.com

Professional Honors, Awards and Fellowships

2015        Fulbright Professional Award 2016-2017

2013        Best Film Award for ‘Victoria Home’ 2013, ‘Agenda 14’ Short Film Festival

2013     Nomination for the Sunila Abeysekara Human Rights award for ‘Victoria       Home’  Agend 14Short film festival 2013

2013  Reimagining Development Short Film Grant 2013, awarded by                                                  Centre for Poverty Analysis (CEPA) Colombo, Sri Lanka

2012       Workshop on Cinema without Borders Workshop 2012 – Awarded by Movies                            that Matters, The Hague, Netherlands

Professional Work (Research and Film)

2019        ‘Pain and Memory’- a photographic exhibition and a documentary film based on the research of the people who were displaced and lost their relatives during the war in Northern province in Sri Lanka

2018         The Moon and The Kannaki – An Ethnography and A documentary film based on the research of Kannaki Amman worship in Vanni and Jaffna in Sri Lanka.

2018         ‘Space of Pattini Ritual – Research paper presented at the International conference on “Importance of Mainstreaming Local Knowledge Systems and Intangible Cultural Heritages” at Swami Vipulananda Institute of Aesthetic Studies (SVIAS) Eastern University, Sri Lanka

2018         Pain and Memory – A photo essay of disappearances in Sri Lanka Published on blog: https://warunic.wordpress.com/2018/01/14/pain-and-memory/

2016-present  Pattini: A photographic journey through the ritualistic worship of Goddess Pattini of marginalized community in urban Sri Lanka (photographic book in progress)

2017    ‘Space of Pattini Ritual as Negotiation and Tension of Identity’ Research paper presented at the spring seminar series – University of Cornell USA

2014   Director/ Script writer/ Director of Photography – documentary film ‘Gifts and Visions’ produced by Professor Bob Simpson at Department of Anthropology, University of Durham, UK

2014    Director/ Script writer/ Director of Photography – Documentary film ‘Children of Cemetery Dwellers’ Produced by Centre for Poverty Analysis (CEPA)

2012    Director/ Screenplay writer/ Director of Photography/ Producer – Documentary film ‘Victoria Home’

2012   Director of Photography – Short fiction ‘The Concrete Road’ Produced by Lahiru Samarasinghe

2011   Assistant Director – Documentary film ‘Human Rights and United Nations’ –UNDP/HRC joint production, Directed by Wasantha Obeysekeara

2011   Director of Photography – Documentary film ‘University of Kelaniya’ Produced by Media Unit, University of Kelaniya 2011

2010   C/o Director and Director of Photography / Script writer / Producer Documentary   film ‘Sea is our life’

Copyright Information:Images and text of this bolg are copyrighted to Waruni Anuruddhika. Using and  reproducing the images or content are strictly prohebited witout having a written permission  form copyright holder.