• Raffealla Fernando unveils 2024 celebrity calendar

Over the years, the launch of the Raffealla Fernando Celebrity Calendar (RFCC) has become a landmark event that not only marks the beginning of a new year, but also showcases celebrities in a new, and often breathtakingly creative, light. This year, RFCC, which returns for its 12th edition, features talented celebrities across sectors, as well as tribal communities and a fitting tribute.

RFCC 2024 was launched on 21 January at Waters Edge, Battaramulla, giving us all a look at the celebrities and personalities featured in the latest edition of the calendar.

A look at the 2024 calendar

RFCC 2024 begins with images of Uru Warige Wannila Aththo, the chief of the Vedda or indigenous community, and his tribe. The calendar goes on to feature stars such as Abhisheka Wimalaweera, Channa Perera, Hirushi Jayasena, Raini Charuka Goonatillake, Rashiprabha Sandeepani, and Nadeesha Hemamali. Chamika Karunaratne, Kanchana Anuradhi, Dinara Punchihewa, Janith Wickramage, Dinakshie Priyasad, Aaryan Dinesh Kanagaratnam or ADK, Sachini Ayendra, and Roshan Ranawana are also featured in RFCC 2024.

Udari Warnakulasuriya, Arjun, Sangeetha Weeraratne, Raween Kanishka, Supun Perera, Dinesh Gamage, and Samanalee Fonseka add to the talent featured in RFCC 2024, with the calendar ending with images generated using artificial intelligence (AI) of the late Jackson Anthony.

A total of 23 artists were featured this year, and speaking to The Daily Morning Brunch, Fernando shared that a highlight of the calendar was the photoshoot of the Vedda chief and his tribe, for which she travelled to Dambana.

“Another highlight is that we did a tribute to Jackson Anthony for the month of December, with two AI-generated portraits, and apart from that, we had first timers for RFCC and ones I have already worked with. We also had artists who work internationally, like Arjun and ADK, featured this time,” Fernando shared.

Celebrating our roots

Going into more detail about the photographs for January, that of Wannila Aththo and his tribe, Fernando said that the main reason they were featured was because they are our roots, but are rarely spoken about.

“I met them around six years ago and that conversation had a hold on me. Even six years later, I wanted to go back and meet him,” she said, recalling the first meeting with the Vedda chief. “He genuinely loves nature and wants to preserve their culture. And that’s something I thought was beautiful. I felt we needed to celebrate it. This is a celebrity calendar, so why not celebrate us?” Fernando said, explaining that the indigenous community represents us in the most simple or primitive ways.

“I think they are neglected, and nobody talks about them. They have become a tourist attraction, but I wanted to raise more awareness about their existence, and we are also planning other projects with the Wana Arana Foundation,” Fernando said.

According to the photographer, it was through Wana Arana that she connected with the Vedda community. The foundation helps the indigenous community to make a living out of their culture without commercialising it, Fernando said, adding: “We are planning on doing some projects with them in future, to help them preserve their culture, of course, but at the same time, to help them make a living out of their way of life, education, medicine, and so on. That’s something we are planning this year, and this was the start. We are collaborating with the Wana Arana nature foundation.”

Fernando further commented: “I wanted to start with them because I felt it gave a strong start, not just for the calendar and the launch, but overall. They are the foundation or the roots. They are the only people who have kept that identity, so I felt it would be nice to give them priority and start the calendar with them.”

An AI-generated tribute

Regarding the tribute to the late Jackson Anthony, who passed away in October 2023, Fernando said it was the smallest thing she could do for him, as he was someone who had a great impact on her life.

“There are two AI portraits. The first one was created based on my first memory of him. In 2014, when I first met him, that was the exact look he had. He was seated in front of a bookshelf. I wanted to recreate that first memory of him and that was the first portrait,” she said.

Explaining the thinking behind the second portrait, Fernando said she believed artists like Anthony didn’t really die, as they lived on as long as there were people to remember them. “Something I believe is that in the generations to come, he will always be a topic that people will talk about, so it’s like he has gone on a long vacation, and will keep on coming back to our lives from time to time,” she said.

Regarding the feedback the tribute received, Fernando said: “His wife said it was like he was alive for a moment when she saw it, because it captured his characteristics. I must give a big shout out to my AI artist, Anjana Gajanayake. He’s a very young artist. I only gave him the brief; he’s the one who gave life to the picture.”

Beyond RFCC

RFCC 2024 displays a mix of concepts, like storytelling and editorial photography. The latter is a new addition to the calendar, Fernando said, pointing out that she hadn’t done editorial photography before. However, it is a global trend at present, and she wanted to incorporate it into the calendar.

In terms of the technical side to the calendar, Fernando said they used different lighting and other techniques as well as new equipment. “With every picture, we did some sort of experiment with lighting, styling, etc. and I felt that was something new. It was quite a learning curve for me, so this year was all about learning for me and a lot of experiments. I don’t know how people will take it, but so far, I have received good comments,” she said.

In terms of what comes next, Fernando said the Dynamic Business Leaders (DBL) calendar she collaborated on would be launched next month, after which she said we could also expect something new from her clothing brand, Fella.