SRI LANKAN CINEMA… (In the Entertainment industry. History of Sri Lankan Cinema)

Working in a Tea Garden (Ceylon) Sri Lanka 1890s / Photo Credit: Pinterest

SRI LANKAN CINEMA… (In the Entertainment industry. History of Sri Lankan Cinema)

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Sri Lankan Cinema

Film & Cinema in Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka is a cultural country, which prides itself in its film industry. Home to many acclaimed filmmakers and directors, many works of cinematography have received several awards and accolades.

The island of Sri Lanka, influenced heavily by Buddhism and Hinduism and home to tropical forests, spices and gemstones, and a wealth of endemic flora and fauna, sits in the Indian Ocean off the southern coast of India. Also living on the island are Sri Lankan Muslims, Burghers, Malays, Kaffirs, Veddas, Tamils and the Sinhalese.

Not unlike many other parts of the world, towards the end of the 19th century Sri Lanka was introduced to the moving image in the spirit of the fin de siècle. The first official film screening happened in 1901, and in 1903, photographer A.W.A. Andree, of Jaffna in northern Sri Lanka, was the first Ceylonese to form a local film company – Coric Bioscope. Having acquired a projector from abroad and gained access to an auditorium, he began to screen silent films from Europe. A strong Euro-Ceylonese presence began to dominate Sri Lanka’s cinema, with Andreas Van Starrex, from a family of mixed Dutch-Sinhala origins, producing the first mobile cinema, bringing a whole new experience to early Sri Lankan cinema audiences.

Later, Jamshedji Framji Madan, an Indian theatre and film producer, distributor and exhibitor, began building cinemas and by the 1930s he owned an expansive network of cinemas and distribution outlets through his company Madan Theatres Ltd. These venues predominantly screened Indian films and in doing so took some of the focus away from imported European films. Through the 1920s and 1930s, with technological advancements being made in the West, namely the invention of sound films, there was a growing interest in US films – in the absence of local productions, Indian and American films dominated Sri Lanka’s cinemas. It wasn’t until the late 1940s that Sri Lankan cinema made its first mark.

Even through, Sri Lanka was introduced to the films early on in the 19th century by the British occupants, it was only in 1947 prior to the Independence of Sri Lanka that a Sinhala film was produce and shown.  Cinema became an integral part of the society with Warwick Major taking measure to screen films and shortly after in 1903, the first permanent theatre, named Madan Theatre was premiered.  The first film to have been made in Sri Lanka was “Rajakeeya Wickremaya” – “Royal Adventure” which starred the likes of Dr. N.M Perera but was screened in India and Singapore alone. However, it was only in 1933, that a Sri Lankan film called “Paliganeema – The Revenge” was screened in Colombo. This marked a new era for the industry.

The industry has blossomed since 1933, whereby 1947 marked the debut of the first film produced by a Sri Lankan called “Kadawunu Poronduwa”, which directly translates to “The Broken Promise”. Most of these works are based on Sinhala literature with controversial themes such as family relations, terrorism, abortions and angst. Following the debut of Sinhala cinema the then Ceylon, Sri Lanka evolved into a master of fine literary films.

Furthermore, when talking of the film industry in Sri Lanka, Dr. Lester James Peries cannot go unmentioned. Possibly the most prestigious and influential filmmaker in the country, Dr. Lester James Peries was the first to reach for the stars and achieve global acclaim. With many awards to his name, he was first Sri Lankan to achieve the prestigious awards of Diploma of Honour at the Venice Film Festival for his film "Conquest In the Dry Zone" in 1954, the Silver Lion of St. Mark at the Venice International Film Festival in 1972 which also received a Diploma of Honour at the London Film Festival. Another acclaimed budding filmmaker is Vimukthi Jayasundara., who’s “Sulanda Enu Pinisa”- “The Forsaken Land” won the prestigious award of Best Film at the Cannes Film Festival in 2005. Another filmmaker full of promise is Jackson Anthony who debuted his epic historical film “Aba” in 2008, which was set down in the history of Sinhala cinema as one of the most expensively produced film, grossing a total expenditure of 60 million rupees.

With blossoming filmmakers such as Vimukthi Jayasundara & Jackson Anthony and film veterans’ such as Dr. Lester James Peries, Asoka Handagama, Prasanna Vithanage and the likes, the future Sri Lanka film industry is expected to be promising and bountiful.

Sri Lankan cinema encompasses the films made in Sri Lanka. It is a fledgling industry that has struggled to find a footing since its inauguration in 1947 with Kadawunu Poronduwa produced by S.M. Nayagam of Chitra Kala Movietone. Sri Lankan films are usually made in the Sinhalese language, as well as in Tamil Language.

In the first nine years most films were made in South India and followed the conventions of Indian cinema. Studio shooting was the norm, with Indian style sets erected in film studios. Even though it is popularly held that Rekava, made in 1956 by pioneer director Lester James Peries, was the first Sinhala film to be shot completely out of studio, it was really the film "Gambada Sundari", starring Kingsley Jayasekera and Sheela Peiris in 1950, which was the first film shot outside studios. It was also the first Sri Lankan film where, like in "Rekawa", the dialog was recorded on the spot. This was because the film was shot on 16mm, using an Auricon sound-on-film camera which recorded the sound on the 16mm film optically, unlike in the case of where the sound was recorded on a Kinevox 35mm magnetic recorder. The film was later 'blown-up' to 35mm and was screened in Colombo in 1950.

Though "Rekawa" was acclaimed by local and international critics, the film failed to find an audience in the country and was a box office failure. Films continued to follow formulaic storylines borrowed from India up through the early 1960s despite such efforts as Sandesaya and Kurulu Bedda.

In 1964, Lester James Peries again contributed to the development of Sri Lankan cinema with Gamperaliya which was the first Sinhala film to feature no songs and like Rekava shot completely outside the studio. It garnered massive praise for portraying Sinhala culture in a realistic manner and was hailed by critics and audiences alike. The producer Anton Wicremasinghe was awarded the Silver Peacock at the New Delhi International Film Festival for Gamperaliya. Following this breakthrough, several artistic Sinhala films were made in the late-1960s including Sath Samudura by professor Siri Gunasinghe, ably supported by exquisite cinematography by Dr.D.B. Nihalsinghe.

During the 1970s several talents came to the forefront while commercial cinema continued to steal storylines and plots from Indian films. These include Dr. D.B. Nihalsingha with "Weilkatara"- Sri Lanka's first film in Cinemascope ratio wide screen in 1972; Vasantha Obeysekera who followed up his well-received debut Ves Gatho with a slew of successful films culminating with Palangetiyo in 1979. Another major director who stepped forward during this time is Dharmasena Pathiraja who examined the tensions of city youth in such works as Bambaru Awith and Ahas Gauwa. Artist and poet Mahagama Sekera's sole film Thun Man Handiya is also an important film in Sri Lankan cinema released in 1970. Sumitra Peries, the wife of Lester James Peries, also struck out during the 1970s with work that looked at the conflicting roles of women in society. Her work include Gehenu Lamai and Ganga Addara.

Over the next few decades, artists such as Tissa Abeysekara, Chandran Rutnam, Dr. D.B. Nihalsingha, Udayakantha Warnasooriya, H.D.Premaratne, Ashoka Handagama, Prasanna Vithanage and Vimukthi Jayasundara have attempted to breathe new life into the industry. Nihalsingha was an accomplished cinematographer as well as an editor: so his films has an input which was special and brought a viewpoint to all his films, most of which focused on the exploited women.

Vithanage's film Purahanda Kaluwara is widely considered one of the best movies made in Sri Lanka as is Jayasundara's Sulanga Enu Pinisa which won the coveted Camera d'Or for best first film at the 2005 Cannes Film Festival.

During Sri Lankan Civil War several films have begun to tackle gritty subjects such as family relationships, abortion and results of the conflict between the military and brutal Tamil Tigers in the north. Director Asoka Handagama especially has drawn criticism for pursuing such material in his work.

In the recent years high budget films like Aloko Udapadi, Aba (film) and Maharaja Gemunu based on Sinhalese epic historical stories gain huge success.

National Film Corporation of Sri Lanka, http://www.nfc.gov.lk/

Sources, References & Credits: Google, Wikipedia, Wikihow, Pinterest, IMDB, Linked In, Indie Wire, Film Making Stuff, Hiive, Film Daily, New York Film Academy, The Balance, The Numbers, Film Maker, TV Guide Magazine, Media Match, Quora, Creative Skill Set, Investopedia, Variety, No Film School, Daily Variety, The Film Agency, Best Sample Resume, How Stuff Works, Career Trend, Producer's Code of Credits, Producers Guild of America, Film Connection, Entertainment Careers, Adhere Creative, In Deed, Glass Door, Pay Scale, Merriam-Webster, Job Monkey, Studio Binder, The Collective, Production Hub, The Producer's Business Handbook by John J. Lee Jr., The Culture Trip, Film Museum, Truly Sri Lanka, Slide Share, National Film Corporation of Sri Lanka, http://www.nfc.gov.lk/,

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