Lecturer Receives Prestigious Fellowship for Work as Filmmaker
Cal State San Marcos lecturer Rajee Ranpathi Samarasinghe has been named a Class of 2025 Guggenheim Fellow, one of the most selective and prestigious fellowships in the nation.
From a pool of nearly 3,500 applicants, Samarasinghe is one of 198 individuals across 53 disciplines who were chosen for the fellowship for both prior career achievement and exceptional promise. This marks the 100th class of Guggenheim Fellowships awarded by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation to professionals who have demonstrated outstanding ability by publishing a significant body of work in the fields of natural sciences, social sciences, humanities and the creative arts.
Samarasinghe was recognized under the discipline of “Film-Video.” A lecturer in CSUSM’s art, media and design department since 2021, he’s a Sri Lankan filmmaker and visual artist who left his native country during its civil war and is now based in Southern California.
“This is an incredible honor that will enable me to continue pursuing my creative work, especially during such uncertain times,” Samarasinghe said. “I’m deeply grateful to everyone who has supported me throughout my career, and it’s a privilege to share this recognition with such an inspiring cohort of artists, scholars and innovators across so many disciplines.”
Each Guggenheim Fellow receives a monetary stipend to pursue independent work at the highest level under the “freest possible conditions.” Samarasinghe said he plans to dedicate his time primarily to his second feature film, “The Moment,” a hybrid documentary filmed in China, as well as several other projects.
His first feature, “Your Touch Makes Others Invisible,” is scheduled to be released next month. He also has directed multiple award-winning short films.
Samarasinghe earned a bachelor’s degree in visual arts from UC San Diego and a master’s in film and video from the California Institute of the Arts.
Many Guggenheim Fellows’ projects respond to timely themes and issues such as climate change, Indigenous studies, identity, democracy and politics, incarceration and the evolving purpose of community. Since its founding in 1925, the Guggenheim Foundation has awarded more than $400 million to more than 19,000 fellows.
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