2025.01.16

Mrs. Ruwanthie de Chickera has been appointed as an executive committee member of the Arts Council of Sri Lanka by Hon. Minister Dr. Hiniduma Sunil Senevi.

Ruwanthie de Chickera is a playwright, screenwriter, theatre director, actor trainer and cultural activist.

She has written/directed over 35 original plays and two screen plays.  Her areas of interest lie in matters of social and political justice and accountability, intergenerational learning and the practice, politics and philosophy of ‘devising’ – a theatre approach of collective creativity and leadership which she believes challenges existing structures of authorship and power.

Ruwanthie is artistic director of Stages Theatre Group, set up in the year 2000 to produce socially and politically conscious original Sri Lankan Theatre.  Her award-winning film “Machan” (2008) has been screened in over 50 countries and won several local and international awards including Best Film in the Venice Film festival.  In 2024 she collaborated with Uberto Pasolini, on the script of the film The Return, which stars Ralph Fiennes and Juliette Binoche.

In 2018, Ruwanthie was part of a citizens’ initiative which was mandated to draft a National Cultural Policy for Sri Lanka.  She is an Eisenhower Fellow, and currently serves on the Freedom of Expression Sub Committee of the Human Rights Commisison of Sri Lanka.

More about Ruwanthie de Chickera (Wikipedia)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruwanthie_de_Chickera