Pria Viswalingam
Encyclopedia
Pria Viswalingam is a prominent Australian documentary and filmmaker. He is of Tamil Sri Lanka
n ancestry and was born in 1962 in Malaysia. He was schooled there, as well as in Britain
, Singapore
and Australia
. He is a Sydney
-based journalist and television presenter, best known for his work for the Australian Special Broadcasting Service
(SBS) network.
He moved to Australia in 1978 and after finishing his schooling, he graduated from the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts
in 1987. His broadcasting experience began in radio, as a newsreader and as a reporter, specialising in politics and international affairs.
In 1989, he moved to SBS Television and worked for News and Current Affairs, where he presented and reported live-to-air programming. As well as anchoring the network's World News
, he hosted Dateline, Tonight, Asia Report and Wine Lovers’ Guide to Australia. Most popular and memorable were his A Fork in the Road
travelogues from 1992 until 2004. Including A Fork in Australia, A Fork in Asia, A Fork in Africa and A Fork in the Mediterranean, 62 episodes of approximately 25 minutes length were aired. The Fork series has been broadcast on SBS for 17 years.
In 2001, he produced, directed and narrated for SBS Class, a 4 x 52 minutes series "that looks at the slow death of egalitarian Australia. A society changing into an economy in which new wealth-driven divisions are widening the gap between rich and poor", said the summary by the Australian Film Commission.
In 2001, he directed the four 30 minutes episodes of A Yen for a Dollar, a program which had a look at Asian culture through the prism of business. This series aired on the ABC in February 2002.
In between "Forks..", in 2003, Viswalingam took a look at Australia's corporate world in the series She'll be right, Boss! - a layman's look at "the big end of town" in Australia which comprised 5 episodes of 25 minutes each.
Again, in between "Forks..", in 2006. he produced and presented Decadence
, with reflections on modern life in the West, in six episodes of 25 minutes each.
In 2007/8, he wrote, produced and directed (with Animal Media) a 1hr documentary on the life of Birute Galdikas
and her 36 years of pioneering study of Borneo
's orangutans. This documentary was narrated by Mel Gibson
and is distributed by Icon.
In 2008, based on the success of the SBS TV series, Viswalingam began work on a feature documentary entitled,DECADENCE - The Decline of the Western World?. This will be completed in 2010. He is also developing a television documentary series on Islamic banking and finance.
Separate to his television productions, Viswalingam is producing a major feature film franchise.
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
n ancestry and was born in 1962 in Malaysia. He was schooled there, as well as in Britain
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
and Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. He is a Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
-based journalist and television presenter, best known for his work for the Australian Special Broadcasting Service
Special Broadcasting Service
The Special Broadcasting Service is a hybrid-funded Australian public broadcasting radio and television network. The stated purpose of SBS is "to provide multilingual and multicultural radio and television services that inform, educate and entertain all Australians and, in doing so, reflect...
(SBS) network.
He moved to Australia in 1978 and after finishing his schooling, he graduated from the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts
Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts
The Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts , Edith Cowan University was established in 1980 to provide performing arts tuition comparable to the highest calibre of national and international training benchmarks to be able to meet industry needs around the globe.The school is located in the...
in 1987. His broadcasting experience began in radio, as a newsreader and as a reporter, specialising in politics and international affairs.
In 1989, he moved to SBS Television and worked for News and Current Affairs, where he presented and reported live-to-air programming. As well as anchoring the network's World News
SBS World News
World News Australia is the news service of the Special Broadcasting Service. Its flagship nightly bulletin is broadcast at on SBS One with additional weeknight 'late' bulletins at on SBS One...
, he hosted Dateline, Tonight, Asia Report and Wine Lovers’ Guide to Australia. Most popular and memorable were his A Fork in the Road
A Fork in the Road
A Fork in the Road is an Australian travel television series airing on SBS and hosted by Pria Viswalingam.Described by SBS as "the thinking-person’s travel show" the program takes the viewer off the beaten track and takes a look at the lives of the people living in each destination rather than...
travelogues from 1992 until 2004. Including A Fork in Australia, A Fork in Asia, A Fork in Africa and A Fork in the Mediterranean, 62 episodes of approximately 25 minutes length were aired. The Fork series has been broadcast on SBS for 17 years.
In 2001, he produced, directed and narrated for SBS Class, a 4 x 52 minutes series "that looks at the slow death of egalitarian Australia. A society changing into an economy in which new wealth-driven divisions are widening the gap between rich and poor", said the summary by the Australian Film Commission.
In 2001, he directed the four 30 minutes episodes of A Yen for a Dollar, a program which had a look at Asian culture through the prism of business. This series aired on the ABC in February 2002.
In between "Forks..", in 2003, Viswalingam took a look at Australia's corporate world in the series She'll be right, Boss! - a layman's look at "the big end of town" in Australia which comprised 5 episodes of 25 minutes each.
Again, in between "Forks..", in 2006. he produced and presented Decadence
Decadence (SBS TV)
Decadence: The Meaninglessness of Modern Life is a six part television documentary series commissioned by SBS Independent and produced by Fork Films. The series is hosted by Pria Viswalingam, who is best known for his work on the travel show A fork in the road...
, with reflections on modern life in the West, in six episodes of 25 minutes each.
In 2007/8, he wrote, produced and directed (with Animal Media) a 1hr documentary on the life of Birute Galdikas
Birute Galdikas
Birutė Marija Filomena Galdikas, OC , is a primatologist, conservationist, ethologist, and author of several books relating to the endangered orangutan, particularly the Bornean orangutan. Well known in the field of modern primatology, Galdikas is recognized as a leading authority on orangutans...
and her 36 years of pioneering study of Borneo
Borneo
Borneo is the third largest island in the world and is located north of Java Island, Indonesia, at the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia....
's orangutans. This documentary was narrated by Mel Gibson
Mel Gibson
Mel Colm-Cille Gerard Gibson, AO is an American actor, film director, producer and screenwriter. Born in Peekskill, New York, Gibson moved with his parents to Sydney, Australia when he was 12 years old and later studied acting at the Australian National Institute of Dramatic Art.After appearing in...
and is distributed by Icon.
In 2008, based on the success of the SBS TV series, Viswalingam began work on a feature documentary entitled,DECADENCE - The Decline of the Western World?. This will be completed in 2010. He is also developing a television documentary series on Islamic banking and finance.
Separate to his television productions, Viswalingam is producing a major feature film franchise.
External links
- Fork Films - Pria Viswalingam's production company
- Pria Viswalingam at the Australian Film Commission