Lester’s ‘Nidhanaya’ among restored Asian classics in Venice
View(s):‘Nidhanaya’ (The Treasure), legendary cinematic direction of Dr. Lester James Peries, father of Sri Lankan cinema is to be screened at the 70th Venice International Film Festival opened on August 28.
The film will be screened under the Venezia Classici section where restored prints of nine Asian classics would be screened. The other directions to be screened at one of the leading international film festival in the world are ‘Comrades, Almost a Love Story’ by Peter CHAN [Hong Kong], ‘The Coward’(Kapurush, 1965) by Satyajit RAY [India], ‘Equinox Flower’ (1958) by OZU Yasujiro [Japan],
‘The Holy Man’ (Mahapurush, 1965) by Satyajit Ray [India], ‘In the Heat of the Sun’ (1995) by JIANG Wen [China], ‘Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence’ (1983)by OSHIMA Nagisa [UK/Japan], ‘Mysterious Object at Noon’ (2000) by Apichatpong “Joe” WEERASETHAKUL [Thailand] and ‘Beautiful People’ (1964)by NAKAMURA Noboru [Japan].
For the first time, the Venezia Classici section will feature an award for Best Film and one for Best Documentary, decided by a jury comprised of film students from Italian universities. The full line-up of the festival will be announced on 25 July.
Made in 1970, “Nidhanaya” was screened at the 1972 Venice International Film Festival where the film won the Silver Lion of St. Mark award. It also received a certificate as one of the outstanding films of the year at the London Film Festival. Won critical acclaim as one of the ten top Asian films for all time and considered as Lester’s best direction, the film was included in the global list of 100 best films to be ever made. It was according to the Cinematheque Institute of France which made the compilation to mark the World Film Centenary. It also won the award at Sri Lanka’s Golden Jubilee of Independence for being the best Sinhala movie in fifty years. It has also.
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