TV Times

TV Times

'Short Notes':Festival of tomorrow's filmmakers
By Susitha R. Fernando
The first ever Sri Lankan Short Film Festival "Short Notes" was held with thirteen films from young and amateur filmmakers being screened at the BMICH cinema hall last Sunday. The festival was organised by Ashley and Rajnanee Rathnavibushana of the Asian Film Centre (AFC) and Robert Crusz of the Thulana Media Unit (TMU).

Some films were made by students who attended theoretical and practical training courses and workshops in filmmaking conducted at various times by Prasanna Vithanage (at Tulana, at Studio Artisans in Maharagama and in other parts of the country) and by Robert Crusz (at Tulana).

Some other films were made by students who were completing their undergraduate studies in Mass Communications (at the Kelaniya University) and Sociology (at the University of Sri Jayawardenepura). The rest of the films were by young filmmakers who have been working in, or involved with the local film and television industry in various capacities or who are earning a living in unrelated fields but with their hearts set on being filmmakers.

The festival was held under the patronage two of the pioneer of Sri Lankan cinema; Dr. Lester James Peiris and Ms. Sumithra Peries. The young filmmakers were enthusiastically awaiting the response to their maiden effort at filmmaking. The festival was a rare treat. It held put much hope for tomorrows Sri Lankan cinema.

What was evident in each and every filmmaker was the attempt to be innovative and to deal with various aspects of modern society. The films screened were about social issues and these young directors seemed to have correctly captured the burning questions in today's society as their themes. They also portrayed the side effects and repercussion of the political violence and murders.

ASIAN FILM CENTRE
The AFC was founded in 1991 to enhance and enrich film culture in Sri Lanka and to expand the appreciation of the film as a culturally relevant art form to all sections of the population. AFS actively pursues a policy of developing a viable world film culture in Sri Lanka, with a special focus on Asia, through its leading role in film education and training, hosting of foreign film festivals, promotion of Sri Lankan films abroad, cinema related publications and affiliations to international organizations like NETPAC (Network for the Promotion of Asian Cinema), FIPRESCI and the IFFS.

TULANA MEDIA UNIT
The TMU was established in 2000 as a section within the Tulana Research Centre for Encounter and Dialogue in Kelaniya. The TMU was a response to the challenges faced by the mass media in today's world and aims to provide avenues for critical, alternative, oppositional, minority and simply different" voices to be heard in the public arena.

Be courageous, take risks, think big and make short films; Lester
'What I saw was a very very good thing and there was a whole lot of talent to be discovered among those young directors" said Dr. Peries inaugurating the festival. "These youngsters are our filmmakers of tomorrow. They should be given the necessary support and encouragement so that they will not fall out from the industry".

"Some of the films I witnessed were masterpieces that carried powerful messages in a few minutes," said the veteran filmmaker. "I think a platform should be made for all the short filmmakers and television can play a leading role in this area by giving them some air time instead of some of the teledramas they screen".

"It is especially nostalgic for me, since I started my career making short films and I am glad that AFC and TMU have taken the initiative to encourage short filmmaking in this country," said Dr. Peries who started his journey of filmmaking with the award winning short film "Soliloquy". "I offer our fullest support to all our young filmmakers and they should be courageous, take the risks, always think big and keep making short films," said the experienced filmmaker.

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