The discussion was organised by Rev. Fr. Ernest Poruthota Foundation

Rev. Fr. Ernest Poruthota was a catholic priest and popularly known for his service done for the Sinhala Cinema in the country.
His 92nd birthday fell on August 31. By taking this day into account Rev. Fr. Ernest Poruthota Foundation organised a discussion at the Sri Lanka Foundation Institute on August 31. The session focused on the Sri Lankan Cinema and the ways of improving the island’s cinema. The theme of the discussion was ‘Lankeeya Sinamawe Idhiri Dakma’ (The future of the Sri Lankan Cinema).

The proceedings began with one of the announcers, Dinusha Kudagodage, giving a catchy introduction about Rev. Fr. Poruthota to the audience. He said “When you hear the name Fr. Poruthota you figure out a certain image. When we combine all these definitions Rev. Fr. Ernest Poruthota was a radical person. Radical is a word which is related to the Latin language. This refers to the definition of going to roots,” added Kudagodage.
The other compere in attendance was media personality Wasantha Dukgannarala.
The gathering was also addressed by the Spokesperson for the Colombo Archdiocese Rev. Fr. Cyril Gamini Fernando. 

“We all are in a crisis. There is a political and an economic crisis in the country. We all are in a decisive moment regarding our future. The most important thing is for us to focus on how to

survive the coming day. When we consider about the cinema industry there are so many people who depend on it. Even the owner of the canteen of a cinema hall depends on this industry. Apart from that the people who run shops around cinema halls are also depending on this industry. Therefore when we speak about the future movement of the Sri Lankan cinema we shouldn’t forget about these people too,” added Rev. Fr. Fernando. 
Also Rev. Fr. Fernando went on to state that most of the touching art works produced are born during a crisis.

“Rev. Fr. Poruthota spent most of his time with cinema. That is why we don’t want to limit this discussion on his birth date. As a respect to him we must work to expand the Sinhala cinema. Half of his life was dedicated towards cinema. As I mentioned above we are not speaking about the crisis, but we are more focused on how to come out of this crisis. The problem our country is facing is that we speak about the crisis, but we have not come up with the plans to solve it. Likewise in cinema if we only focus on speaking about the crisis we will be speaking only about the crisis during an entire lifetime. But we can implement a plan on how to solve this crisis and we can move forward with that plan.

Therefore our goal has a theme and it is ‘Salasumakata magak’ (a road to the plan). First of all I must remind that this is not a matter which should deal with politics. We are the ones who must activate the plan to take forward the Sinhala cinema. If we ask the government to develop the cinema it wouldn’t happen. We are the ones who must map out the plan in order to enhance the future of cinema. We should focus on how to develop cinema as an art and also how to develop the cinema as an industry. We cannot do this in a way of developing a company. If we want to be successful with a specific plan we need the support of everyone within the cinema industry. These individuals could be producers, scriptwriters or the technical team,” added Rev. Fr. Fernando.  
As he continued speaking he helped develop a bond between the audience and the artwork in cinema. 

“A cinematic work is produced for the entertainment of the audience. One does not produce a cinematic creation just to bury it inside his or her cupboard. A film is produced to be seen by the audience. When we were kids we spent only fifty five cents to watch a film. It was a huge amount of money at that time. We have waited in long queues to watch films. We had that urge to watch a film at that time even by standing straight under the burning sun. After watching the film in this manner we never thought that we wouldn’t return to the cinema hall. With the technological improvements some don’t want to wait in long queues and watch films. Back then in our town there were three cinema halls. But as of now there is only one cinema hall. Basically we have a problem when these cinema halls are closing down.

Do you produce films to watch them on television? A film should be seen on a specific screen. Some films cannot be understood when we see them on television. We do not observe the deep changes and the deep expressions of the characters sitting in front of a television. These are the challenges. Why don’t people come to cinema halls? In town there are about two cinema halls connected to supermarkets. A film is produced using imagination or an idea which grows in an individual’s mind. There won’t be anyone in this country left to decide about the cinema if you are not willing to take part in the decision making. Therefore this is your responsibility. This is the responsibility of the audience and also the responsibility of each and everyone who is attached to the cinema industry,” concluded Rev. Fr. Fernando.

Pics by Waruna Wannniarachchi