DAILY NEWS ONLINE


OTHER EDITIONS

Budusarana On-line Edition
Silumina  on-line Edition
Sunday Observer

OTHER LINKS

Marriage Proposals
Classified Ads
Government - Gazette
Mihintalava - The Birthplace of Sri Lankan Buddhist Civilization

Developing the film industry

Film is a powerful medium that can spread the fame of a country far and wide. Today, cinema is enjoying an unprecedented boom around the world. Hollywood and Bollywood blockbusters are still playing to packed houses the world over, but European and Asian cinematic creations are fast catching up. From China's sublime The House of Flying Daggers to Japan's haunting Ju-On, Asian cinema is literally taking the world by storm.

It was not too long ago that Sri Lankan cinema was in limbo. There was not much to see apart from cheap comedies and semi-pornographic flicks. Thankfully, the picture has changed for the better.

Several young directors have won critical acclaim and prestigious awards for path-breaking films. They have moved away from the song-and-dance, lover and villain formula to explore new, sometimes controversial themes. Audiences in turn have flocked to the theatres, leading to record box office collections for so-called 'artistic' films.

We read the good news in yesterday's newspapers that President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga has pledged increased Governmental assistance towards building the cinema industry while hailing the efforts of the cinema artistes who recently brought fame and glory to Sri Lanka by their unique cinematic creations.

This will certainly be music to the ears of those in the movie industry, especially directors and producers aspiring to make artistic films with different subject material. The very fact that the Presidential Film Awards ceremony was held after a lapse of four years highlights the Government's firm commitment to uplift the film industry.

Indeed, State assistance is essential for the healthy development of the film industry. In this context, President Kumaratunga's pledge to increase budgetary allocations for the further development of the local film industry will be a boon to cinema artists.

As the President has said, the mere doling out of funds alone would not be sufficient to uplift the cinema.

Local film makers must keep pace with the latest trends in the global film industry such as surround sound and digital shooting, production and projection. The film makers will wholeheartedly welcome her suggestion to provide affordable access to new technology and equipment.

More cinemas need to be built and the existing ones equipped with the latest technology. The infusion of new trends and technology is also vital to conquer overseas markets. A number of Sinhala movies have already run successfully in European cinemas.

Although the majority of viewers were Sri Lankan expatriates, the natives too had shown a tremendous interest in these films. Several Sinhala movies have also been purchased by foreign TV stations.

Our film industry must also look seriously at the DVD phenomenon sweeping the world. Many Hollywood films now make more money from DVD sales than from the box office.

Sri Lankan film directors must explore the possibility of tying up with major DVD distributors to market professionally produced DVDs with multiple language subtitles and even English-dubbed soundtracks. They will find a ready market especially in countries with considerable expatriate populations. There are also countless world cinema lovers out there who would collect outstanding movies.

The local cinema has successfully weathered the television and video revolution. The film makers have proved that innovative storylines still draw patrons to theatres despite high admission prices. Further State assistance will enable them to create even better silverscreen dazzlers.

FEEDBACK | PRINT

 

| News | Editorial | Business | Features | Political | Security | Sports | World | Letters | Obituaries |

 

Produced by Lake House Copyright © 2003 The Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Ltd.

Comments and suggestions to : Web Manager