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Boodie exudes optimism
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Generally Sarasaviya Film Festival is considered the most popular with a long history behind it while Presidential Award is considered more prestigious as its focus is more towards art. But, I consider the Sarasaviya Award as an honour.
Q: Mille Soya for which you won the award is your second film. How do you compare it with your first film Sihina Deshayen?
A: Mille Soya is a finer film; but, it is not a perfect film. It has aspects more of cinema such as art, commerce and humour which are the ingredients of a film within the context of today's world cinema. The film is about life whether still or moving.
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However, Sri Lankan cinema is boring, repetitive and sexual. Now, it is slowly changing for good. Who knows whether the Sri Lankans have sexual problems so as to make it a subject often in our movies.
Q: How do you feel yourself as a young director who had won the award for the best director for your second cinematic effort at two national film festivals?
A: The Sarasaviya jury had decided that if Sri Lankan cinema is to go forward, the young filmmakers should be encouraged. An award always encourages the young and upcoming creators. On the other hand, an award for an accomplished artist is to encourage him to keep going. One day, the youngsters have to take over the future of cinema.
Q: It is after about a decade that you made your second movie. Any particular reason for this long lapse?
A: I took four years to complete the work on Mille Soya because of the very size of the production. Many critics have failed to realise the magnitude of the celebreties of my film. Eight individual mega-artists such as the music director, art director with their own identities have been engaged by me to make this film a success. That is a first time experience in cinema in Sri Lanka.
Q: The theme of Mille Soya is about hopes and aspirations of the unsettled youth today, whose ambition is to enter Italy illegally. How do you reconcile the hopes of our youth with their search for greener pastures in the unknown West?
A: In fact Italy is one of the poorest countries in Europe. I picked out a subject which is close to my heart. It is a human problem that affected the youth of this country that touched me hard. It is about the economic, political and social issues and dreams of the youth.
It is, in a way, a social document to address the subconscious of the people and a movie that speaks to one's heart. In making this film I was basically inspired by Ahasin Polawata. One can call my film an anthropological movie.
Fast rhythm
Q: Editing in your film has maintained a fast rhythm which was realised through quick cuts. Is there any special reason for you to have introduced this particular editing style?
A: Editing was designed to capture the different moods and reactions of young people, which is vigorous, romantic, furious and spontaneous too.
Editing was arranged to seize the inner rhythm of the life in youth and therefore fast editing was essential without which the sub-plot of the theme could not have been captured by the audience.
Q: Your present film as well as the earlier one are centred round dreams. What is your fancy for dreams?
A: Dreams keep people going, the youth in particular. Dreams are important for them to get into places, positions, loves, hopes and friendships.
Q: How do you see the future of world cinema?
A: Celluloid is changing into digital video today. It is going to be the challenge for the new generation of filmmakers. Film industry is cheaper and easier today with the introduction of special effects. My next film will be digital video.
Q: It is said that cinema is director's art while drama is actor's art. How do you react to this assertion?
A: As a director, I always put the best talent together and get them to play. I first listen to them, and if I like what they say, I adopt it to suit my work. Credit should be shared by the entire team and the director must be able to pick and choose what is necessary.
In a simplistic sense the director is the general and the actors should fight according to his plan. If they fail he fails on stage. The actor has a greater freedom because it is a live performance. He needs greater intuition to adopt himself to unforeseen situations.
Q: Sinhala cinema is entering a new phase in its history today with many youngsters taking to it more as an art than an industry. Do you think this would augur well for Sri Lankan cinema?
A: Yes, because when art starts failing it is a bit more than a commercial movie. Even if someone wants to do an art film sometime later he will realise that he cannot move on with that idea.
The message enshrined in a film must reach or speak to a greater number of people. Therefore, it must be understood by many. That tells us how to market it. I do not however, categorise films into art and commercial movies.
Advice
Q: What is your advice to those youngsters who wish to take to cinema either as a profession or a pastime?
A: I attended a short film festival held recently, and I noticed three brilliant filmmakers. There are a lot of young intelligent innovative men who may do a better job than we. Many of our present filmmakers do not know the medium. So I like to push these youngsters. We must compete with them and learn from them.
Q: Indian cinema which is second only to Hollywood is in a financial crisis. In order to overcome this situation, they look for a wider Asian market and beyond the out-of-the-mill stories. Have we got anything to learn from this?
A: Yes of course. Most advanced films come from Chennai. They have introduced a lot of new things to the Tamil movies which are fast moving unlike ours. We have a sea of stories, but we concentrate on women under pressure. This must stop.
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