Biography

Sujewa Ekanayake is a Brooklyn based D.I.Y. indie filmmaker (D.I.Y. or DIY = Do-It-Yourself, indie filmmakers who approach films as art projects, make and release them for low budgets, and take responsibility for all phases of the project - from script to distribution and publicity). Ekanayake was born in Sri Lanka, and moved to the US in his early teens. Ekanayake has been making films since 1992. He has made the following films, in the following order - 1 - Fresh Coffee (1992), 2 - Wild Diner (1999), 3 - Capital Heartbreak & Sweetness: 17 DC Poets (2001), 4 - Date Number One (2006), 5 - Indie Film Blogger Road Trip (2009), 6 - Brooklyn Fantastic (2009 - not completed yet - a 2020 release), 7 - Breakthrough Weekend (2014), 8 - Werewolf Ninja Philosopher (2018), ​9 - The Secret Society for Slow Romance (2021). Ekanayake has screened his films in Washington, D.C., Maryland, Seattle, New York City, Chicago, and at the Atlanta Film Festival. He has received positive press coverage from Village Voice, Chicago Tribune, and other media outlets. He has written and published the blog DIY Filmmaker since 2006. DIY Filmmaker blog has been one of the top blogs for filmmaking news and was one of the IndieWIRE blogs at one point. DIY Filmmaker has promoted multi-ethnic filmmaking, new talent, and self-sufficiency as a useful practice for indie filmmakers. Starting April 2020 Ekanayake is blogging primarily at a new blog called NYC FANTASTIC - a blog for video interviews and essays. Ekanayake promotes his film work using the label NYC FANTASTIC Sujewa Film Art.