Today (09) is the final day of the workshop that commenced on the 7th in Colombo, with the participation of the National Archives and the Film Corporation, and under the leadership of international consultants, aiming to preserve old films and photographs in Sri Lanka and create cinema programs.
“Today is the final day of the cinema workshop”
This can be described as an effort to protect cinematic works in Sri Lanka and to further preserve related creative posters, lobby cards, positive films, and negative films from destruction. The Embassy of France in Sri Lanka, representing the French government which pioneered the beginning of cinema in the world, formulated the initial plan for this. Shivendra Singh Dungarpur, head of the Indian Film Heritage Foundation, organized this as another step in a series of international programs he has been conducting for many years. A special feature is the implementation of international-level training programs in this field in countries such as India and France, where the film industry is very prominent. Their aspiration is to further protect fundamental communication mediums such as the film industry and photography through this.
In Sri Lanka, all types of films are being preserved at institutions such as the National Film Corporation, the Dalugama Sarasavi Studio, the film division of the Government Information Department, and the National Archives. In addition to this, there are also privately run film archives. This workshop aims to further develop the current preservation processes in such institutions.
Veteran cinema and art director Jerome Baron from France is presenting a special program on this. Murachana Bora, Priyanka Shetty, and Praveen Singh, active members in the field of preservation from the Indian Film Heritage Foundation are also sharing their knowledge and practical experiences here. The French Embassy in Sri Lanka initiated this under the primary organizational supervision of Sudath Mahadiulwewa, Chairman of the National Film Corporation, and Dr. Nadeera Rupasinghe, Director General of the National Archives Department. This free program, held for creators and preservation officers from the government and private sectors in Sri Lanka representing the relevant field, concludes today.
