Sunday Times 2
‘Nidhanaya’ is reborn
Named by France’s Cinemathèque Française as one of the World’s Best 100 Films ever made, Dr Lester James Peries’ acclaimed work is to be re-released in digital form.
Dr. Peries at the media briefing. Pic by Ranjith Perera
It was a very homely media gathering. We met at Dr. Lester James Peries’ home where the topic of discussion was the restoration of ‘Nidhanaya’. The highly acclaimed work by Lester, produced four decades ago, was selected by the critics as the Best Film produced during the first fifty years of Sri Lankan cinema and was also picked by France’s Cinemathèque Française to be among the World’s Best 100 Films ever to be made, at the celebrations of the World Film Centenary.
Media conferences are generally held at some place where there is space for a fair number of media-people to meet with a whole battery of press photographers and TV cameramen. Instead, we met on the verandah of Lester’s home on Dickman’s Road (the familiar name we have been used to for many decades though the name is now fittingly changed to honour the doyen of Sri Lankan cinema). The one-time verandah is now secured with iron grills, yet open enough to have plenty of air come in. It was also the ideal location for Lester, now a distinguished senior citizen, to participate.
With an arty backdrop, occupying the head table were Lester and Sumitra Peries, Ravindra and son Sameera Randeniya. The last three were invitees at the Vienna Film Festival where the restored digital version of ‘Nidhanaya’ was screened on August 31, under the ‘Restored Films’ category. Ravindra, the head of Film Team had initiated the restoration of the film when it was thought to have been destroyed forever, as it had been revealed that the original negative was burnt as a result of the ‘vinegar syndrome’, due to the absence of an archiving facility in Sri Lanka.
The only dud negative was found at the National Film Archive of India (NAFI) by Indian film director Shivendra Singh, one of Ravindra’s close business associates. The restoration rights were secured from NFAI and the producer of ‘Nidhanaya’, G.R. Padmarajah, chairman of Cinemas – a big name in film production since the inception of Sinhala cinema. (Though the film was done at Ceylon Studios belonging to Ceylon Theatres, it was bought by Cinemas boss at the time, C. Gunaratnam). Along with Ravindra, young Sameera Randeniya (he is a director of Film team & a Trustee of Lester &Sumitra P Foundation) did the coordination work with the World Cinema Foundation (WCF) in France to get the job done. The Foundation’s Managing Director, Douglas Liable met Lester along with Singh and others last October to discuss the project.
Restoration work started at Cineteca Bologna in Italy using material mainly from a positive copy found at the German Production company, DEGETO and some material from NFAI.Meanwhile, the Venice Film Festival invited ‘Nidhanaya’ to be premiered if the restoration work was completed in time.
Detailing the restoration process, Ravindra revealed that the cost of restoring the film was around 80,000 Euros which was borne by the WCF. He was most grateful to the Foundation for undertaking the project at their cost to preserve a top grade Sinhala film for the benefit of the future generations.
Sumitra Peries was all praise for the organisers of the Venice Festival for selecting the film for screening thereby honouring the film was the second time. In 1972,’Nidhanaya’ won the Silver Lion of St. Mark at the Venice Film Festival.(In the same year it was voted the ‘Outstanding Film of the Year’ at the London Film Festival). She had a special word of thanks to Alberto Barbera (Director of the Venice Film Festival. Everyone had enjoyed the film, she said.*/
Reminiscing about the days when he made the film, Lester named three persons – Ceylon Studios director Anthony Pillai, leading actor Gamini Fonseka and the imaginative script writer Tissa Abeysekera – the trio who made an enormous contribution towards the success of the film. (Pity a microphone was not available at least for his comments). I will add one more name, Premasiri Khemadasa, whose score haunts us just as much as the film does.
We should get a chance of enjoying ‘Nidhanaya’ in its digital form by December.
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