Towards quality movies

Sinhala cinema has come a long way since Kadavuna Poronoduwa (Broken Promise) premiered in 1948, exactly the same year in which Sri Lanka gained independence. But there seems to be a lull in the industry and globally recognised works are few and far between. The Sinhala cinema, or rather local cinema if one includes locally-made Tamil movies, has the potential to reach greater heights.

It is heartening to note that Minister of Mass Media and Information Keheliya Rambukwella has turned his attention to this important subject. He said that the time had come for all those in the cinema industry to get together and devise a long-term plan for the development of cinema. This is indeed praiseworthy, for what we need is not patchwork solutions, but rather concrete plans for the sustaining the industry.

It is not incorrect to say that the industry is facing a crisis. Fewer quality films are being made, as opposed to cheap 'comedies' of a commercial nature. There is a dearth of talent as well, though not necessarily in acting. Television has driven many people away from the cinema. The high admission costs at cinemas also deter people from attending them, lowering Box Office proceeds. After all, why pay Rs. 800 (for a family of four) if one can get the movie on (pirated) DVD for just Rs. 80? No new cinemas are being built which adds to the industry's woes. Nevertheless, the success of some quality films shows that crowds still flock to see creative and entertaining works.

It really does not matter whether local filmmakers produce eight or 80 films a year. They should be of substantial quality, while managing to reach out to the average filmgoer. There is a crucial need to encourage the production of quality films, not necessarily with an eye for local and international awards but with the aim of improving the industry per se.

Some films are so 'high-brow' that only a very few could comprehend their essence. On the other hand, some films are so disgustingly 'cheap' in every sense of the word. There has to be a middle ground, one that appeals to all tastes. Many award-winning films have maintained this stance. All films are commercial - there is no use making films that might not make any money, but viewers deserve more than song and dance sequences and fights.

The industry should aspire to be a global one, a la Bollywood and Kollywood. Today, Bollywood films are released all over the world. It does not mean that our filmmakers always have to make films with foreign cinema festivals and audiences in mind. It means that films should be 'marketable' abroad. Films can also be sold to TV stations for airplay, if they cannot secure overseas theatrical exhibition. It is a pity that most of our filmmakers have little or no knowledge of the vast blu-ray/DVD sales potential for 'world cinema'. Currently, many films are released locally on DVD with no (English) subtitles, but it would be best if blu-rays/DVDs of local films can be released to the global market with multiple-language subtitles, extra features and director interviews. Such films and filmmakers must be given greater recognition at home and the authorities should provide concessions for directors and producers who achieve global fame.

A cinematic creation must somehow be different than the countless TV shows which viewers get for free. There are hundreds of teledramas on the 'idiot box'. Films have to be better than these run of the mill teledramas and focus on novel, diverse issues and characters to attract crowds.

This is where we can learn a lesson from Hollywood and Bollywood. For years, Hollywood directors have been wooing audiences with movies that would simply be unaffordable for the TV networks - special effects, unusual stories, big name stars and epic dramas. No TV network could have funded Roland Emmerich's 2012 or James Cameron's 3-D Avatar, as their mind blowing special effects cost millions of dollars. These films are best seen in the theatre anyway. A few local filmmakers have attempted to make big-budget movies, with limited success.

While expanding financial facilities for filmmakers, the authorities should also encourage the setting up of more fully-equipped cinemas with digital projection facilities. All of these should not be multiplexes or 1,000 seater cinemas - 100 seater mini cinemas are more viable for some locales where the population is not high. Local filmmakers should be encouraged to 'go digital' because it can ultimately keep costs down and make the transition to blu-ray and DVD smoother.This country does not have a 'film rights' culture, whereby producers snap up rights to film outstanding fiction and non-fiction books. The National Film Corporation should identify new books that could be good candidates for movies and set up a mechanism for turning them into cinematic masterpieces. There could also be parallel Teledramas and films on the same theme. It is time that our directors also explored the 'franchise' and 'sequel' movie concepts (ex: Spiderman, Superman, X-Men, Iron Man) whereby several movies are made on stories woven around a single person/event.

We also lack a proper film studies academy (affiliated to a university or stand-alone), where prospective actors and directors can learn their craft. The students should be shown global cinematic masterpieces that would help them master some techniques of the masters, including our own. Having said that, we feel that more world films (no, not Hollywood but French, Spanish, Asian, Latin American films) should be shown in local theatres and on local television. Sri Lanka needs to hold an international film festival to attract quality new films from around the world. We also need a world-class film archive where digital copies of films can be preserved. Original prints of many films such as Ran Muthu Doowa (Island of Gold and Pearls - the first Sinhala colour film) have vanished without a trace.

All films, however crass or mundane they may be, deserve to be preserved for posterity and appreciated for entertaining the people. The film is a mirror of society and more quality films will reflect our desire for artistic freedom and excellence. Moreover, cinema could also be used as a medium for reconciliation and unity among different communities.