Devi Balika Media Day:
Children’s Cinema and its influence
Nipuni WIMALAPALA
Director General of Government Information Department
Prof Ariyarathna Athugala giving away a trophy |
A scene from a drama.
Pictures by Saman Sri Wedage |
Sri Lanka produces less children’s movies compared to the
international arena. But it is gradually becoming a very popular topic
among children and adults alike. This was indeed a timely topic chosen
for Induwara Asna 2011 the Media Day of Devi Balika Vidyalaya, held at
the school recently to commemorate the 10th anniversary of its Mass
Communication Unit.
Organized as by the Mass Communication Unit, it focused mainly on,
children’s cinema, a rare form of art in Sri Lanka. E M G Edirisinghe,
veteran cinema critic headed the discussion panels on different topics
related to communication and children’s cinema. The importance of
communication and its impact on man was discussed at length.
“Children’s cinema is a kind of literature which could have a strong
impact on a child’s mind and development. This is why it is really
important to have high quality movies for children,” said Edirisinghe.
He further explained that today, adults enjoy a different culture while
children adapt to an emerging culture more sophisticated than the one
their parents were exposed to. “Children’s movies are extremely
interesting and talk to children’s minds,” noted Edirisinghe.
According to him, the moving image further developed into cinema
quickly turned into a popular art form. The first movie emerged in the
last decade of the 19th Century. The Signal was the first children’s
movie which emerged in the second decade of the 20th century in Russia.
Then it spread around the world and in Sri Lanka it became a reality
in 1979 with Handaya directed by Titus Totawatte. Handaya was a landmark
in Sinhala cinema which perfectly distinguished the role of children’s’
movies. Somaratne Dissanayake’s contribution to upgrade the standard of
Sri Lankan children’s cinema was highly appreciated during the
discussions.
“There is a specific duty to be fulfilled by school mass
communication units,” said Veteran journalist and Director General of
Government Information Department Prof Ariyarathna Athugala, the chief
guest of the event. “Electronic media are expanding everyday and have a
huge impact on society.” He said that many problems occur due to this.
As the root cause he identified the lack of media education at school
level. “Media illiteracy badly affects children’s spiritual cultivation,
aesthetic values and interests”, he noted.
According to Prof Athugala, children are attracted to social media
and are engaged in them as active participants.
Mostly websites such as facebook and other internet based networks
have a huge influence on children’s minds than knowledge imparted by
education. A whole new different culture has emerged as a result.
Consequently he reiterated the importance of identifying these problems
and intelligent solutions.
Many other distinguish personalities, including Athula Ransirilal,
Nalaka Swarnathilake and Charitha Navaratne, participated in the event.
There were many entertaining dramatizations of Sinhala and English songs
and a couple dance. At the end of the event awards were presented to
students who won competitions organized by the Mass Communication Unit.
Induwara Asna 2011 ended with a note of motivation to rethink the
importance of children’s cinema and its impact on children’s growth. |