Cabinet approval has been granted to register the local cinema as a formal industry. Industries Minister Wimal Weerawansa stated that the development of the local cinema industry has been limited to a small market due to its non-declaration as an industry.
Therefore steps have been taken to obtain Cabinet approval to formulate the legal process to transform the local cinema into an industry.
He was speaking at a special discussion held at the Ministry of Industries yesterday with the Sri Lanka Film Professionals Independent Union, a coalition of several associations affiliated to the film industry.
He said that the joint Cabinet paper signed by Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa as the Minister of Culture and by the Ministry of Industries, has been approved by the Cabinet and the relevant proposal will be published in a gazette notification in the next few days.
Accordingly, for the first time in its history, the film industry, which was previously restricted to the arts and culture circle, will be recognized as an industry. Thereby it will create a future in which all the support and encouragement received by other industries will also be extended to the film industry as well, the Minister said.
Minister Weerawansa also proposed the appointment of an advisory committee consisting of professional representatives from the associations affiliated to the cinema industry at the Ministry level to carry out this process in the future.
Senesh Bandara Dissanaike representing the Film Directors’ Association stated that with the declaration of the local cinema as an industry, we, as a country, should look forward to elevate the Sri Lankan film industry to the international level.
Moreover he said that industry values can be cultivated and professional cinematographic equipment, cosmetics and standards can be incorporated to uplift the cinema industry.
It has been identified that with the recognition of cinema as an industry, a number of benefits can be can be achieved such as generation of a number of livelihoods, the occurrence of a social, cultural and an economic modification to local cinema, as well as assisting in the tourism and education sectors.
The promotion of the cinema industry would also assist the economy with considerable revenue.
