Sri Lankan film director and writer, Somaratne Dissanayake is the recipient of the “Peoples Award” as the People’s artist of the country for the last five consecutive years. He gave up permanent residency and citizenship in Australia, with the highly lucrative medical profession in order to make films in his motherland. He is at the 13th Dhaka International Film Festival with his new film Siri Parakum (The Crown from the Mud). In an exclusive interview, Somaratne shares his experience as a filmmaker and more.
Tell us about your current visit to Dhaka.
This is my fifth visit to Dhaka. On my first visit to DIFF in 2000, I received first international award for my film Saroja in the Best Film Audience Aaward category. From then on, this trip has become a custom to me. My frequent visits has enabled me to make a good rapport with Ahmed Muztaba Zamal, the festival director, international delegates and other personnel workers of DIFF. I am very enthusiastic about showcasing my films here.
Tell us about your new film Siri Parakum (The Crown from the Mud).
Siri Parakum (The Crown from the Mud) was showcased in the competition’s Australasian Film Section at DIFF. It’s a historical film based on a true event. The story is that of a prince’s struggle for survival after his mother dies at childbirth. The king remarries and on the birth of his half brother, the prince’s stepmother conspires to have him murdered, so that her own son would inherit the crown. A loyal soldier senses the impending danger on the prince’s life and takes him to a village, out of the reach of his wicked stepmother. The village headman adopts the little boy, without knowing his true identity and the prince grows up to be a handsome and skillful farmer. On the event of the king’s death, the rescuers plan to bring back the real heir to the throne.
Which genre of films do you prefer to work with?
I have studied film making and made a few documentaries and shorts earlier. Now, I only work on feature films. I directed eight feature films so far. All of my works have won many international awards in various world festivals. Interestingly, my films are not only artistic successes, but also commercial successes. This new film Siri Parakum (The Crown from the Mud has broken box office records of all time in Sri Lanka.
You are the president of the Film Makers Guild in Sri Lanka. Please tell us about the scenario of the present film industry over there.
The Sri Lankan film industry isn’t large. Every year, 20 to 30 films are released and most of them follow the Bollywood film making style. But like me, many filmmakers from the industry tried to meet the aesthetic value of cinema. The audiences appreciate my effort of combining the aesthetic value with popular context in my films. I think these elements I mentioned are necessary for a good film. That is how my films achieved commercial success in Sri Lanka.
Is the Sri Lankan film industry facing crisis due to neighbouring Bollywood’s apparent success?
There was a time, 15 to 20 years ago, the film industry in Sri Lanka was down because many filmmakers started to make unrealistic films following Bollywood style and people rejected those films. And now, like me, other filmmakers started to make films with aesthetic and artistic values. The audiences of Sri Lanka are now coming in cinemas again. So, I can say that the industry is booming. Only problem for the industry is the lack of technology. There are few cinema theatres with digital screening technologies and still we have to go to India for the post production works of our films.