In an era of images and iconology it goes without saying the impact film continues to make as a contemporary art and media in the lives of people everywhere. Unlike the other arts it is the ease in which we perceive a film (they say that a child of four years could watch a film and perceive it in a certain manner without requiring much intelligence. Even cats and dogs sometimes watch the moving images….) that makes it a powerful tool.
Film media has changed the way and continues to change the way we perceive our world. As much as the ease with which we approach the films, there arises the question of how we go on to comprehend massive doses of information they provide us without questioning how they tell and what they tell. In this sense it could be argued that film is clearly a sophisticated art and possibly the most influential art of the twentieth century, with a history of complex theory and practice.
Therefore the aim of forming a film club on the one hand is an effort to view films, examine and begin a discourse on films and the impact they have in our live, and on the other hand to create a space for discussions on theory and technique. The film club will be the first in a series of activities which will also include film review and film criticism, which will be followed by training in Film theory and practice for aspiring filmmakers and film students.
FILM REVIEW & FILM FORUM
Film review in Sri Lanka is mostly restricted to a small space in the news papers, where hitherto it has been a practice only to write for the sole purpose of bringing the viewers to the theatres. Therefore the so called film reviews do not go beyond a certain limit and are mostly defined by the theatre owners and distributors for the purpose of money and market. And there is another category where film reviews are written to position a particular film depending on the director, producer etc and other politics that work within the system to say whether a particular film is either good or bad, and invariably people will have to depend on such reviews to ascertain whether a particular film is good or bad. A space for dialogue is not provided.
When one reads the present reviews in the news papers, one is deemed to think that, most or for that matter all the films which come into the theaters are of good standing and that they are beyond criticism. In a way it is a reflection of the society, where there is hardly any room for dissenting thought. It is a taboo to criticize, because the general culture is to not to look at criticism as healthy, but rather it is deemed as a threat to the status quo. Further we being an island nation, the ‘island mentality’ seem to dominate and pacify us. Therefore there is a general paranoia for disagreement and everyone wants to pat each others back and live in a state of complacency.
CRITICISM AND A CULTURE OF DEMOCRACY
Therefore a space for film criticism, will not only allow individuals to express their true opinion of films, which will in turn enrich the film industry in the country affecting both film viewers and film makers, but also will pave the way for a culture of democracy and inclusiveness. A space for film interpretation and analysis is absent in the present reviews. This has caused the Sri Lankan film industry to be stagnant for a long period, depriving it of any dynamism and new ways of thinking. A space for interpretation will lead to thesis, antithesis and eventually to synthesis. This will enable both film viewers and film makers to think out of the frame and to become more creative in their approach to film and media.
A SPACE ON PAPER & ON THE INTERNET
- Our print & web space will not be based on ideologies and it will allow room for differing thought, beginning from common appreciation or depreciation to intellectual analysis of films produced during a time period of three months (this does not mean that films of other eras should not be reviewed, but rather importance will be given to contemporary films and there will be room to review films from other eras as well, where there could be a separate section set aside for past films). This will mean that there will be four issues published during a year.
- The films reviewed will start with films that are being screened in the theaters and go into international films and most talked about films during that time period.
- Reviews will include films that are being banned, not only to open a dialogue but also to provide a space where one could find dissenting arguments about a film that has been banned in one common place, rather than going in search for reviews only in the local news papers, which are mostly driven by some ideology or the other.
Film is a contemporary art which we consume, in as much as we consume food and water. If so isn’t it wise for us to consume it knowing what we are consuming, how we are consuming and why we are consuming it.
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