Preserving the soul of classic Sri Lankan cinema

 Participants at the film preservation workshop

By Nishantha Chaminda Peiris

Sri Lankan cinema is currently at a critical juncture, and we are faced with the challenge of preserving our films for the future. However, various programmes and projects are underway around the world today to safeguard this cinematic heritage. We should commend the fact that we have some opportunities at the international level to further strengthen the measures currently taken for the conservation and restoration of our films,  and to enhance  training opportunities of the conservators.

Accordingly,  international efforts taken to preserve our films, restore and protect our cinematic heritage is of utmost importance. In particular, the Film Heritage Foundation of India and the International Federation of Film Archives  (FIAF) are institutions primarily dedicated to this. At the same time, there has been a recent surge of interest in preserving Sri Lankan films, thanks to the concerted efforts of the French Embassy in India and the French Embassies in Sri Lanka and the Maldives.

Accordingly, over a period of two years, conservation projects were implemented with the aim of protecting this cultural heritage, focusing on providing training in this regard for film restoration, conservation and dissemination.There was also a focus on ensuring that the stories captured in films are preserved for future generations. 

A very important milestone in this regard was the 9th International Film Preservation and Restoration Workshop held in Kerala, India in 2024. This prestigious workshop was attended by 67 conservation activists from Asian countries, and it was also very important to have 11 Sri Lankans participating. Its main objective was to equip them with the skills to restore and preserve audiovisual works to meet the pressing challenges of replacing aging classic film collections and transitioning to digital formats.

A distinguished global faculty was assembled to conduct intensive training sessions covering topics such as film disaster recovery, cataloguing, and digitisation.The programme provided hands-on learning experiences from experts in the field and included screenings of restored films from around the world. The classic Sinhala film Gehenu Lamai (1978), created by Sumithra Peiris in collaboration with the Lester James Peiris and the Sumithra Peiris Foundation, was also restored (with the support of FISCH) as a result of this international film preservation programme.

The comments made by Shivendra Singh Dungarpur, Director of the Indian Film Heritage Foundation, on this matter are also very valuable. France-India-Sri Lanka Cinematic Heritage -- Preserving Films Across Borders -- is a historic international initiative dedicated to the crucial goal of preserving the film heritage not only of India but also of Sri Lanka. It is extremely important to invest in the restoration and public relations of a landmark Sinhala film through important training programmes such as these. Furthermore, the creation of a permanent training centre in Mumbai will provide further advancement and positive opportunities in this regard in the future.

Veteran filmmaker Damith Fonseka is currently playing a leading role in the process of preserving Sri Lankan films. As  director of the Gamini Fonseka Foundation, he attempted to preserve his father’s films. Accordingly, as an extension of that effort, he launched the grand process of preserving Sri Lankan film negatives, posters, picture cards, etc. We have benefited greatly from it to this day.

The experience gained in Sri Lanka in the past through a three-day workshop for relevant activists and those interested in film preservation is also very important. Murchana Borah, Priyanka Shetye, Praveen Singh and The National Film Corporation,  the Film Preservation Unit of the National Archives Department were the main actors in this work, with the Government Film Division also contributing. director Jerome Baron of the Indian FHF Institute provided Sri Lankans with sound investment knowledge in the field of conservation.This will provide Sri Lankan private film conservators, as well as private institutions that create and preserve films, with good knowledge and practical understanding, giving them a positive outlook for the future of film conservation.It is necessary to do what needs to be done for the soul of classi cinema.