• Can the restoration of the classic lead to conserving SL’s cinematic history?

The restoration of the late Sumitra Peries’ ‘Gehenu Lamai’ and its screening at the Cannes Film Festival has generated a lot of buzz. While these restoration efforts must be lauded, it also ignites hope that other productions that shape Sri Lanka’s cinematic history will undergo conservation and restoration efforts.

‘Gehenu Lamai’ is a significant production as it marked Peries’ debut as Sri Lanka’s first female filmmaker. The 1978 film also marked Wasanthi Chathurani’s debut in film. It is adapted from the novel by Karunasena Jayalath.

Speaking about the movie, Factum Chief International Relations Analyst Uditha Devapriya, who has written widely about Sri Lanka’s art and culture, shared that ‘Gehenu Lamai’ embodies a distinct feature of most first films by a director: A sense of sincerity and honesty often absent from subsequent productions. This is a quality seen in other filmmakers as well, such as Lester James Peries (‘Rekava’), Dharmasena Pathiraja (‘Ahas Gauwa’), and Prasanna Vithanage (‘Sisila Gini Gani’).

The significance of ‘Gehenu Lamai’

‘Gehenu Lamai’ follows two sisters, Kusum (Wasanthi Chathurani) and Soma (Jenita Samaraweera); the former submissive and deferential towards tradition and authority and the latter rebellious and critical of tradition and authority.

Referring to a still from the movie which shows Kusum on a ‘poruwa’ about to get married, Devapriya said: “But if you’ve seen the film, you’ll realise that it’s so ironic because she never gets married in the film.”

Kusum merely dreams of this married life, but restrictions of social class make it impossible for her to realise her love for Nimal. “And he, in turn, after he’s diverted from her, sets his sights on climbing the social ladder, hunting for prospective brides from higher up the social scale.”

On the other hand, you have Soma, but the rebellious sister is also defeated in the end.

“Everyone who talks about Sumitra Peries being a feminist filmmaker, a women’s filmmaker, fails to appreciate the fact that this film shows far more than most other films about women in Sri Lanka – how both women who bow down to tradition and women who try to get out of that traditional circle eventually get bogged down and defeated.”

Devapriya explained that while films like ‘Dadayama’ follow similar themes, they also portray women as being fighters, trying to resist patriarchy. “Sumitra Peries was never in that mould of filmmaking. In any of her films, you don’t see women really struggling and then resisting and succeeding in their resistance,” he explained.

The women in films like ‘Gehenu Lamai’ and ‘Sagara Jalaya’ are always brought down, he said, pointing out that the only exception is ‘Yahalu Yeheli’.

He also shared that ‘Gehenu Lamai’, despite receiving international recognition, didn’t enjoy the same treatment locally. “In 1997, when they came up with a list of the 10 greatest films in Sinhala cinema from the previous 50 years, it was rather shocking that ‘Gehenu Lamai’ was not on that list,” he said.

“Personally, I see it as a reflection on how ready or not we were at the time to acknowledge that a woman was able to make films at such a scale,” Devapriya added.

The restoration of ‘Gehenu Lamai’

‘Gehenu Lamai’ was restored by India’s Film Heritage Foundation in association with the Lester James Peries and Sumitra Peries Foundation, under the aegis of FISCH: France-India-Sri Lanka Cine Heritage – Saving Film Across Borders, a pioneering international collaboration between the Film Heritage Foundation, the Embassy of France and the French Institute in India, and the Embassy of France in Sri Lanka and the Maldives.

According to the Film Heritage Foundation, the idea to restore ‘Gehenu Lamai’ was formed back in 2018.

When asked if these efforts could lead to the restoration of other classics, Devapriya said Peries certainly had that wish, recalling the discussion of such efforts when he interviewed her years ago. These discussions focused on ‘Sagara Jalaya’, which is seen as Peries’ greatest film, with Devapriya saying it is unparalleled in the way it depicts village life and the plight of women in traditional Sinhala society.

While Peries herself didn’t substantiate claims of ‘Sagara Jalaya’ being restored, Devapriya said he was of the belief that these were films that needed to be restored. And this wasn’t limited to Peries’ productions.

“The first Sri Lankan Sinhala film was in 1947, before we got independence. But since then, there have been no meaningful attempts on the part of authorities, private producers, filmmakers, or relevant stakeholders to preserve and restore films at an international standard,” he said.

Restoration efforts have taken place by private producers and philanthropists, but Devapriya said these have been, for the most part, ad hoc restorations. He acknowledged that restoration was challenging work, requiring time, expertise, and money – three things Sri Lanka may not have reserves of. 

“Restoration is important, but for that we invariably will need money and some sort of collaboration with foreign embassies and foreign institutions, which is what happened with ‘Nidhanaya’ and which is what has happened with ‘Gehenu Lamai’ as well,” Devapriya said.

He added: “We tend to be very insular in our thinking that we can do this on our own. But the sad truth is we can’t. We have to rely on collaborations.” Referring to the involvement of parties from Sri Lanka, India, and France in the restoration of ‘Gehenu Lamai’, Devapriya said: “And it’s a superb example of a cultural diplomatic win on many fronts.”

Restoring to preserve

When asked if he felt Sri Lanka’s restoration efforts would improve in future, Devapriya admitted that he was somewhat sceptical, as restoration would require funds – an investment the National Film Corporation may not be able to make.

“The second reason why I am sceptical is because we don’t have an acquired, sophisticated consciousness when it comes to our bureaucratic authorities to take these initiatives forward. They have to be pushed. And that’s where collaborations of this sort really matter,” he added.

Author Saman Athaudahetti also shared his thoughts about the need for film conservation and restoration in Sri Lanka. He explained that this conversation has been ongoing for decades. “We still don’t have a film archive. It’s the same for most forms of art. For publications, of course, we have the National Archives, which is making efforts and using new technology so we are at an international standard. But when it comes to something like cinema, we have no method of conserving these productions at a national and organisational level.”

Conservation and restoration, he said, happen at a more personal or individual level. He spoke about the lack of an established process as a deficiency in the country.

“The movies are in reels. The negatives or positives can only be stored for a certain period. After that they get destroyed. So before this happens, we need to conserve them. There is a need for this and it’s our responsibility to support any efforts taken in this regard,” Athaudahetti said.

He stressed that conservation and restoration efforts should take place in a systematic manner at a national level.

A fresh viewing

The restoration of classics such as ‘Gehenu Lamai’ is important to protect Sri Lanka’s cinematic history. Athaudahetti shared that movies, regardless of how good they are or what genre they belong to, are very much part of the country’s cinematic history and need to be protected.

With the restoration and Cannes screening of ‘Gehenu Lamai’, attention has been drawn to Sri Lankan cinema. “People who already know about Sri Lanka will expand their knowledge. People who don’t know about the country will learn about it. They gain an understanding of the level our cinema was at many decades ago, so I think such opportunities are important.”

When asked if Sri Lankans understood the value of such opportunities, he said: “I can’t speak for others, but I think this is something we should, as Sri Lankans, be happy about.”

The Daily Morning Brunch sought Athaudahetti’s thoughts on how the restoration of ‘Gehenu Lamai’ and other movies could draw young audiences to Sri Lankan classics.

“We can’t come to a conclusion all at once if restoration efforts will draw new audiences to classic films. These movies have historic significance, for one, and secondly, these could be pleasant experiences for the newer generations,” he said.

Athaudahetti explained that the world has changed significantly. “If you take ‘Gehenu Lamai’, the movie was released in 1978. Our experiences back then, our environment, the condition of the world we saw, are completely different to the world we live in today. Today, the world moves much faster. There is development. Technology has advanced.”

How someone living today views the world captured in classics like ‘Gehenu Lamai’ is an area worth studying, he said.

However, in addition to young or fresh audiences, Athaudahetti pointed out that with restored classics like ‘Gehenu Lamai’, ‘Welikathara’, ‘Bambaru Avith’, and ‘Akasa Kusum’, audiences that watched the movies when they were released could enjoy a fresh viewing of them in a clearer form.

“Back then, they were in reels and there were issues with the quality of the visuals and sound because the technology wasn’t as developed back then. When they are digitised, we can enhance their picture and sound quality using the latest technology, enabling older generations to watch them anew and enjoy them even more,” he said.

These views were echoed by Devapriya, who said that classics, as they are, tend to have various issues with the visuals and sounds, which are a distraction to viewers. Restored movies make for a better viewing experience.

“I was at the recent ‘Nidhanaya’ 4K restoration screening at the National Archives and there were so many young people in that crowd. They really appreciated the film because they could appreciate it. You could hear the audio. You could appreciate the background music. You could appreciate the subtle nuances of the dialogues. You could appreciate the crisp, clear images on the screen,” he said.

Devapriya added that younger audiences were likely to respond more positively and proactively to restored classics.

However, these restored classics need to be screened to local audiences, with Devapriya saying the experience of watching a classic from the comfort of one’s bed and watching the restored version on screen was worlds apart.

Meanwhile, Pathum Punchihewa shared his views as a filmgoer, saying: “As a millennial who grew up in the 80s and 90s, classic Sinhala cinema pieces like ‘Valampuri’, ‘Welikathara’, and ‘Yuganthaya’ weren’t just entertainment, but a window to the rich world of Sri Lankan cinema. The irony is we didn’t know it back then, but we feel it now. Even the memory of now extinct VCR sets are nostalgic to us.”

He added: “Fast forward my nostalgic musing to today. I believe the restoration of classics can not only benefit us to soothe our nostalgic passion for those classics, but to introduce these riches to generations that are exposed to world cinema easily but have no chance to enjoy Sinhala classics.”