Sri Lanka Tourist Board targets the multi-dimensional Film Industry

In its first ever joint initiative, to promote the destination of Sri Lanka as a Film Location Destination, the Sri Lanka Tourist Board along with other stakeholders of the industry, the National Film Corporation, Sri Lankan Airlines and private sector, the Film Location Services Lanka (Pvt.) Ltd has taken a major initiative.

As their first imitative was the participation at the neighboring Bollywood's mega show, which was a B2B forum that brought film and television producers of India to meet with destination and location facilitators other markets.

Participating at the event, CINEMASCAPES, held from 26 to 27 October, was a step forward to add onto the holistic appeal island, Destination close proximity with India, good air-connectivity from all key Indian metros, Indian rupees competitiveness in Sri Lanka, close cultural-economic ties, historical annals and mythological lineage are few of the multifarious factors benefiting both Sri Lanka and Indian producers.

Elaborating on Sri Lanka Tourist Board initiatives Mr. Malraj Kiriella, Director Marketing, Sri Lanka Tourist Board said, ‘Sri Lanka Tourist Board and National film Corporation of Sri Lanka, will mutually work together to facilitate a smoother flow of operations. Identified vendors, selected hospitality partners and production facilities are in place to ensure smoother ground operations’.

‘Venue Reece, on-ground transportation, film equipment and production needs will be catered and taken care of, for the film producers once they decide to commence shooting in this tropical Island. Sri Lanka Tourist Board has also launched its new slogan to promote this product "Sri Lanka: The ideal Film Location Destination" and also launched audio-visual destination CD providing ready informative insight on filming in Sri Lanka,’ he further added.

Cinemascape was organized by SATTE, India's leading organizer, in partnership with the Film & Television Producers Guild, the apex body of all the leading lights in the business. Cinemascapes was an effort to create a platform for Film and TV Producers to meet and network with Tourism Officials, Travel Organizers, Hotels and Airlines and other associated with the trade.

Along with Marketing Director Malraj Kiriella, the other officials also participated at the above event.

Chandran Ratnam, Chairman, Film Location Services (Pvt) Ltd. , Saman Weeraman, General Manager, National Film Corporation, P. Lanka Dharmawickrama, Deputy General Manager, National Film Corporation, K. P. D. Kodippili, Assistant General Manager (Production), National Film Corporation, Dimuthu Tennakoon, Manager/Maharashtra and Gujarat, SriLankan Airlines are other guests at the exhibition in India.

The Film & TV Producers Guild of India is the leading trade body of India with all the major content providers from the filmed entertainment space as their members.

Sri Lanka offers a wide variety of locations, which the Academy Award winning director, Sir Carol Reed after shooting his film in Sri Lanka said, "The whole of Sri Lanka is a film set". Many international films have been shot in Sri Lanka. From Carol Reed's adaptation of Joseph Conrad's "Outcast of the Islands", John and Bo Derek's version of "Tarzan the Ape man, David Lean's "Bridge on the River Kwai" to Steven Spielberg's "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom" and most recently, "Jungle Book", "Mother Theresa" and Deepa Mehta's controversial film "Water".

The Sri Lanka stall was unique and it was under the banner of "Sri Lanka: The Ideal Film Location Destination".

The stall build up to look like an inside of a cinema hall with a large screen with curtains, continuously playing the newly produced film, which was containing clips of Sri Locations and the clips of films, which have been shot in Sri Lanka. The backdrop of the stall contained pictures of the movies filmed in Sri Lanka and Sri Lanka scenery.

In front of the stall there were boards containing Sri Lanka's mix of location attractions.