Plans afoot to establish National Film School

Colombo, Jan. 29 (Daily Mirror) - Plans are afoot to establish a National Film School in Sri Lanka by utilising existing resources of the Sri Lanka Foundation, which operates under the Ministry of Mass Media and the National Film Corporation.

Preliminary discussions on the matter were held recently under the Chairmanship of the Parliamentary Caucus on Arts and Cultural Affairs MP Jagath Manuwarna.

The meeting was attended by the Deputy Minister of Mass Media, Dr. Kaushalya Ariyaratne. 

Officials representing the National Film Corporation, the State Cinema Advisory Board, and the Sri Lanka Foundation participated in the meeting, along with representatives from the Film Directors’ Guild, Art Directors’ Guild, Screenwriters’ Guild, SAARC Cultural Center, university academics specialising in film studies, and a number of professionals from the cinema industry.

During the meeting, officials, film professionals and academics presented their views and proposals regarding the establishment of a National Film School. 

It was emphasised that the institution should go beyond theoretical instruction and offer programmes focused on producing practically skilled filmmakers. The need to operate the school in accordance with international standards of film education was also discussed.

Although the establishment of a National Film School has been a long-standing discussion aimed at uplifting the local film industry, it has yet to be realised. 

The Chairman of the Parliamentary Caucus stressed the importance of initiating the school through the collective involvement of all relevant stakeholders, making use of existing resources, and strengthening the institution progressively over time.

Discussions were held on taking initial steps to establish the National Film School by utilizing existing resources of the Sri Lanka Foundation, which operates under the Ministry of Mass Media, and the National Film Corporation, which functions under the Ministry of Buddhasasana, Religious and Cultural Affairs. 

It was also decided to establish a committee to prepare the legal framework, obtain necessary initial approvals, and plan the required preliminary actions.

A technical committee comprising representatives from the Parliamentary Caucus on Arts and Cultural Affairs, the Sri Lanka Foundation, the National Film Corporation, the State Cinema Advisory Board, and representatives of the cinema industry was established.