More foreign films to be shot in Lanka

Once a location of choice for directors shooting World War II classics and big 1980s adventure films, Sri Lanka is hoping to make a comeback on the movie trail.

The Government has been trying to promote a new image, focusing on its elegant colonial buildings, tropical jungles and golden beaches.Sri Lanka's next major foreign film is tipped to be "Toomai of the Elephants", an adaptation of a story from Rudyard Kipling's "Jungle Book", starring former James Bond actor Pierce Brosnan and veteran Omar Sharif.

Filming is set to begin in January, and many local film professionals see it as a major chance to advertise Sri Lanka as a flexible and attractive film location.

"Peace has opened doors for more movies to be shot in Sri Lanka," Chandran Rutnam, a Sri Lankan film maker who wrote the "Toomai of the Elephants" script, told AFP."Safety and difficulty to get insurance to cover film productions in Sri Lanka were the biggest drawbacks during that time. People are now willing to invest in films here because we are cheaper than other Asian locations."Rutnam knows better than anyone the island's potential as he has worked on more than 50 international projects over the decades.

He was a 16-year-old filmhand on the multiple Oscar-winning "The Bridge on the River Kwai" (1957), directed by David Lean and starring Alec Guinness, which was filmed in a valley near the western town of Kitulgala.Rutnam was also production manager alongside director Steven Spielberg on the 1984 blockbuster "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom". It was shot in and around the royal city of Kandy.

"We are encouraging foreign artistes and film crew to shoot in our country to experience its beauty," Lakshman Yapa Abeywardene, Deputy Minister of Economic Development, told AFP.

"The whole country is now open for locations. We see this kind of work promotes our country as a tourist destination, promotes skills and helps local economic activity."