Cinematic journey of GFU on show
View(s):“Pratibehedekma” (Reminiscences), a festival of documentary films covering the complete history of the Government Film Unit (GFU) will be held from February 20 to 23 at the Government Information Department, Polhengoda. The festival will showcase outstanding documentary and news reels produced by the GFU. Some of them have won international awards at prestigious international film festivals like Venice, Berlin, Leipzig, Salerno, Karlovy Vary etc.
The GFU was the beginning for many filmmakers including the pioneer in Sri Lankan cinema, Dr. Lester James Peries and other veterans like Dr. D.B. Nihalsinghe, Tissa Abeysekara, Tissa Liyanasooriya, Ranjit Lal and Sugatapala Senarath Yapa.
This would provide a unique opportunity to members of the public who have not seen these jewels of documentary and news films produced by the GFU in the early period.
With the emergence of Sri Lanka (then Ceylon) as a fully independent democratic State in 1948, the existence of a well informed, enlightened public opinion became a vital necessity. The need for an organization to achieve this goal was soon realized and the Government Film Unit (GFU) was set up in September, 1948.
During this period two Italians were here to work in a Sinhalaese film. When they arrived here the film production company was closed and finally Government came to know about these two persons and utilised them to set up the GFU since we didn’t have the necessary technical personnel. Initially it was a small unit, and was housed in a room let by the Department of Irrigation in Jawatte Road, Colombo. Two Italians – Gulio Petroni and Federico Serra – functioned as film director and technician respectively. The first newsreel they shot was the First Anniversary of the Independence Celebrations held on February 4, 1949.
During Petroni’s stay of about three years, he made several short news films and two documentaries – “Hill Capital” and “New Horizons”. “Hill Capital” (24 mts) was a documentary film on the picturesque and historical city of Kandy. “New Horizons” (45 mts) dealt with the land reclamation and colonization schemes of the Government. These two documentary films influenced several local film makers who joined the GFU later. By the middle of 1949, the GFU was fairly well established in its new premises – an ex-British Armed Services cinema, situated in a large coconut estate called “Velona Estate” in Moratuwa.
Later Italian technician George Calabria, British editor George Sturt, British documentary film maker Ralph Keene and Spanish cinematographer Bob Navaro joined the GFU. From the Sri Lankan side George Wickramasinghe, Pragnasoma Hettiarachchi, Erwin Dasanayake, Abeykoon Seneviratne, Lester James Peries joined the GFU as directors. The renowned German director Paul Zils joined the GFU during 1968-69. In 1970’s D.B. Nihalsinghe, Tissa Abeysekara, Tissa Liyanasooriya, Ranjit Lal and Sugatapala Senarath Yapa also joined the GFU and made several documentary and news films.
A Sinhala book published by GFU titled “Pratibehedekma” (Reminiscences) covering the complete history of the GFU is to be launched on February 20 at the inauguration of the festival.
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