Mahinda Rajapaksa National Tele Cinema Park in Ranmihitenna:

Glowing tribute to artistes

Jayanthi LIYANAGE

The much-awaited Mahinda Rajapaksa National Tele Cinema Park in Ranmihitenna has completed its stage one. This giant cinema village will be opened by President Mahinda Rajapaksa on March 30.

Ranmihitenna is situated between Tissamaharamaya and Kataragama about seven kilometres from Tissamaharamaya. About two years ago, LTTE had massacred some villagers there. But things have come a full circle now and it has become the scene of festivity.

A building of the Ranminitenna village

“The tele cinema village is a concept of President Mahinda Rajapaksa,” explained Mass Media and Information Ministry Secretary W B Ganegala. “He personally thought of it without anybody requesting for it, as he is an artiste. In his young age, he had been a film star. He has always been fond of the cinema and tele-cinema industry.”

When President Mahinda Rajapaksa assumed Presidency in 2005, he submitted to the Finance and Planning Ministry his budget speech in Parliament on December 8, 2005. “He mentioned of discouraging importation of films and tele dramas produced in other countries. He wanted to impose a levy on all imported films, tele dramas and commercials,” Ganegala further explained. A gazette notification was issued on June 29, 2006 and the levy was imposed with effect from July 1, 2006. The responsibility of collecting the taxes rested with the Mass Media and Information Ministry. Taxes so collected were to be invested in the project of the National Tele Cinema Park, without sending the taxes to the General Treasury.

In other South East Asian countries, there are similar studios such as the Ramoji Film City at Hyderabad. Sri Lanka also had a few small studios but during the 1983 riots, they had been destroyed. “Our local film directors, producers and artistes were facing severe difficulties in the absence of such type of studio facilities,” said Ganegala. “We started collecting the taxes and on October 30, 2008, the foundation stone was laid to have this tele cinema park. The President closely monitored the project.”

The project consisted of two stages. The first stage was completed in January 2010. “Of Rs 800 million taxes collected, Rs 600 million has been spent to complete the first stage. The balance has been credited to the Treasury Bills. For the second stage too, a further Rs 600 million will be needed which is made possible with tax collection from Television Channels,” Ganegala specified.

During the first stage, many facilities required for film shooting has been constructed. The Park has a restaurant which can cater to 100 guests and five villa type twin houses for the use of filmmakers. It also has B and C graded residential facilities which can accommodate about 100 people at a time. There is a three storeyed main administrative block. A studio contains a large screen of 60 ft in length and 40 ft in height. There is also a large area of back lot houses which can be used as sets in filmmaking.

During the second stage of the project, the construction of a high tech studio where editing and finishing of any film can be done is anticipated. “There will also be a swimming pool, accommodation buildings, another five twin house villas, an open air theatre and a theatre hall built during this stage,” Ganegala named. “During the imposition of the levy, there was vehement opposition to it from artistes and private media channels. They thought the government was restricting media freedom. But there was no restriction on quality films. Tamil films were exempted as Tamil is one of the national languages in Sri Lanka. It was the President’s vision that the levy was for the benefit of the film and tele drama industry.”

Mahinda Rajapaksa National Tele Cinema Park is constructed on government owned land to the extent of 235 acres. One hundred acres have come from the Mahaweli Authority while the balance has come from land allocated to the Navy.

Mass Media and Information Ministry Secretary W B Ganegala during an inspection tour to the tele-cinema village

The distance from Colombo to Ranmihitenna will be lessened once the highway from Colombo to Kataragama is completed. There are also other advantages such as jungles, national parks and natural locations.

“This is all the President’s concept,” emphasized Ganegala. “The film industry did not even ask for it. They were reluctant to ask for this type of mega project because we were fighting a war.”

Plans are in the offing to maintain a Data Bank of those needed to make a film such as additional actors and actresses, assets and local manpower. When producers go to Ranmihitenna, local resources will be at their disposal. People going from Colombo need only to take their main crew as information of people who have vehicles, tractors, cattle and other resources will be stored in the Data Bank. All these make filming cost effective. “Other South Asian countries would be interested in making films in Sri Lanka. The film makers have to pay a reasonable amount for the facilities they make available to themselves,” Ganegala said.

The faces of the back lot buildings can be changed to suit the film in the making. Construction work of the tele cinema park has been done by Central Engineering and Consultancy Bureau while the Architect is Rukshan Vidyalankara. Back lot buildings and location sets have been designed by Errol Kelly.

Once opened the Park will be governed by a Board of Control chaired by the Ministry Secretary Ganegala. The Park will be established under an Act of Parliament as an independent legal entity.