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| Sunday, 18 July 2004 |
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Reel despair by Vimukthi Fernando
The Sri Lankan film industry is in danger of losing up to 80 per cent of its films due to lack of proper preservation. A number of classics have already been damaged beyond restoration and filmmakers fear the country may lose a significant portion of its cinematic history if no action is taken to remedy the situation. How many of you have seen Madol Doowa or Rekawa? If you ask this question from a 100 youth born in the last two decades, the answer would definitely be a big "NO". They have not had an opportunity to watch the early works of the Sri Lankan film industry because these films are not in a fit state to be viewed. And the reason? The film industry has been woefully negligent in preserving its masterpieces and resultantly Sri Lanka has lost a significant portion of its cinematic history. In the early years of Sri Lankan cinema, preservation was more or less a private affair, undertaken by individuals who owned the film rights. Normally, the producer would 'safeguard' his property. And, it was a must, as the film stock used at that time - nitrate based material - had a penchant for spontaneous combustion. This ignition, created as an aftermath of the gasses given off by the decomposing nitrate required special storage facilities with stringent climatic control. Though it was not always successful, the few producers being mostly studio owners, protected them the best way they could in cold vaults. Gathering dust in the store-rooms of the producers, many ended up as rust-heaps. Over the years though technology advanced by way of non flammable di-acetate and modern polyester colour films, the attitude of the producers did not change. That is until the ethnic riots of 1983. Many studios and cinema halls were burnt during this time and along with them, the few preserved films. There had been fervent pleas from film makers, artistes and those involved in the film industry that the films be preserved in a proper manner. The materialisation of those pleas have been a dream, with reality appearing to be a nightmare for some. Among them is veteran film-maker and the authority of Sri Lankan cinema, Dr. Lester James Pieris, who has been pointing out the necessity of film preservation for nearly half a century. "My first article on the need of a national film archive was published in all the national newspapers in 1957," says Dr. Pieris, adding "From that day on, the media and artists carried the campaign." But, both his plea and the campaign has been to no avail. "To this day, there is no proper archive. Eighty per cent of the films have either decayed or are in danger. No one hasshow any interest in compiling a list," he laments. This failure is not due to any lack of understanding of the need for a national archive. "It is a must at the national level," agrees Sarath Perera, General Manager, National Film Corporation (NFC), who points out that the Corporation is in the process of creating an archive at its studio in Dalugama, Kelaniya. However, during a visit to the Corporation's archive unit at Sarasavi Studio, Dalugama, Kelaniya, the Sunday Observer observed that the conditions were far from conducive for film preservation. The unit, housed in two air conditioned rooms lack even the basic facilities. The rooms, in an old building are not properly designed for air conditioning, and there is no facility for humidity control. The equipment, date back to the 1970s and some have been 'out of order' for quite a long time. Though five employees keep the place clean, tidy and dust free, the conditions of the unit, which is the only government owned location for preservation of films, leaves much to be desired. The unit contains over 7,000 reels, comprising 400 films in negatives and 150 in prints. According to Thilak Fonseka, who is in charge of the Archives and the Laboratory, all the reels are rewound every six months to keep the dust and harmful chemicals at bay. "If the reels are damaged, they are sent through a chemical wash to preserve the quality and new copies are made in the laboratory," he says, adding that facilities are available for making copies from negatives or prints of the film, for films in black and white print. However, the facility for colour film restoration is out of order. Asked about the ideal conditions for film preservation, Fonseka points out that film preservation should ideally begin at the production stage. "New and good film must be chosen at that stage to preserve film quality. It is best to plan preservation from the beginning and handover the negative or a good print for preservation as soon as the film is released," he says. However, it is only a handful of film producers who adhere to this. "The facility is quite expensive. But it is provided free of charge. Submitting their films for preservation is voluntary, and many do not even think of preservation" says Fonseka. Film preservation in developed countries is done under stringent climatic control. The three culprits of deterioration - light, temperature and humidity-are totally controlled. The films are stored in dry vaults, at temperatures below freezing point, providing better conditions than the generally specified 12.5 degrees Celsius for black and white film and 6.5 degrees Celsius for colour film and humidity at 32.5 per cent. However, these specifics are ignored in Sri Lanka due to a gamut of reasons. The corporation at present spends over Rs. 100,000 a month, for the maintenance of the unit, though the facilities seem inadequate. It is also in the process of planning a proper archival unit, the Sunday Observer learnt. "The decision to create an archive was confirmed at the last board meeting" says Sarath Perera. "We are in the process of planning, including seeking overseas expertise for the task." However, the question is how much of this planning and foreign expertise will be effective in the preservation of this vital part of the Sri Lankan cultural heritage. All whom the Sunday Observer spoke to, were of the view that 'If Sri Lanka is to continue and survive in the film industry, a government lead national archive is a must.' They says the time, has come to take concrete steps. "In fact, we are already too late," they opine. If the industry is to survive there need to be some control. Supporting all languages and cultures equally, strengthening the industry with modern equipment and study facilities for those interested in the industry are a few other musts according to these experts. Speaking of the importance of a national archive, Dr. Lester James Pieris opines that it is a must to eradicate piracy. "Until a national archive is put up there is no hope. In France, it is mandatory for the producers to supply the national archives with a copy of their work. However, it is an expensive exercise for Sri Lankan producers," he adds. Ivan Weerakkody, the veteran film administrator and General Manager of Cinemas, points out that the producers are unable to do a separate print for preservation due to cost constraints. And efforts of preservation, needs to be backed by the government for it is a task too large for a single individual, he explains. It has to be a national effort, funded by the government. A fee could be levied from the producers if needed. The International Federation of Film Archives does not agree with the methods presently used in Sri Lanka, which is limited to the collection of films at air conditioned rooms. Therefore, proper archival methods need be used including proper storage, and restoration facilities. Though ideal conditions are below freezing levels of temperature, which also increases the life span of films, Sri Lanka needs to develop a system suitable for its climatic conditions - mainly its high levels of humidity with enhanced infrastructure support such as emergency power supplies, he says. Somaratne Dissanayake, a film producer from the new generation points out that not only the producers but mostly it is the general public who benefit from film preservation. It is a must for the industry to educate the next generations, he says adding, "We have lost a lot of masterpieces the marvels of the early Sri Lankan film such as Rekawa, and Gam Peraliya." He favours the view of a central unit, accessible to all and with government control. The films lost to Sri Lanka but available in the archives of other countries must be obtained as well, he opines. As for the transferring of films in to videos and DVDs, using the modern technology, experts opine that they have a limited life span, five to 10 years compared to original films. However, the technology was welcomed as a back up for reference purposes and for wider distribution. |
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