Lanka a top location for film makers -US movie consultant

Veteran Hollywood film location scout Bill Bowling who recently spent two weeks touring Sri Lanka confirmed that the island will continue to be a top location for film makers.

The extent of its future success largely depends on promotion and ease of production in Sri Lanka, said Bowling, international film consultant and former Warner Bros. Worldwide Locations Executive Bowling cited Sri Lanka’s natural beauty as an advantage for the island, and noted that its rich animal life could attract documentary film makers.

But financial incentives have become the driver for location decisions around the world, he said, adding that Sri Lanka may be best positioned to, attract TV commercials and documentaries. Sri Lanka’s allure for film makers is confirmed in the 2011 Location Guide, the world’s premier resource for international film production, which highlighted Sri Lanka as a film location.

In March, Sri Lanka opened the Mahinda Rajapaksa National Tele-Cinema Park in Hambantota. The state-of-the-art center includes 235 acres of picturesque landscape featuring lakes, forests, model villages and colonial buildings in addition to industry standard pre-and-post production facilities.

Sri Lanka has a long history with the global film industry. Harrison Ford, the star of the Indiana Jones films, said in an interview several years ago that Sri Lanka is the one location that stands out as being so impressive. “I loved the culture of Sri Lanka,” he said.

Bowling participated in US Ambassador Jaliya Wickramasuriya’s Signature Tour last month that brought 25 American professionals and business people to Sri Lanka. The tour group included an award-winning travel writer and executives from a variety of industries.

Before the tour, Wickramasuriya had predicted that the journey will be an eye-opening experience that will highlight Sri Lanka’s boundless potential.