Cinema in the time of a panic: way out | Daily News

Cinema in the time of a panic: way out

The country is opening step by step. Society is becoming a community under quarantine regulations. But not yet so for the entertainment industry.

The theatres remain access-restricted despite the queues of a magnificent spectacle.

The movie architects are scared to begin the race. They represent scepticism.

The Daily News reaches for Asoka Handagama to pore over the remedies for what ails the industry. The worst affected area in the entertainment area is entertainment itself, Handagama opens up. All street and live performances have come to a standstill.

Perhaps, Sri Lanka can adopt what most other countries such as Australia follow.

“The Australian government has instructed large-scale companies to issue a token to the employees. Once the token is produced at the theatre, the employee receives a ticket to watch the movie. The company settles the ticket fee. We know very well that the Sri Lankan government has fund issues. But they can follow a creative procedure to boost the industry,” Handagama explains the remedy.

The token must not be money, lest the employee would exhaust it elsewhere and the objective would not be achieved. A token worth Rs 500, for instance, will suffice. In such a backdrop, an employee would most likely bring along a family member or two. This means a little more cost for the companies, but would be considered a Corporate Social Responsibility move.

“With such creative measures, we will be able not only to boost the industry but also survive the pandemic however long it is going to stay with us. Another ticket of Rs 500 is not a big sum for an employee already with a token. Especially if it is someone who draws a salary of Rs 30,000.”

The pandemic has not locked down Handagama. In addition to a stage play and a movie due to be world-premiered in November, Handagama made a lockdown-centred short film titled Beer Without Alcohol. It was made on Zoom, how the newcomer app has connected an isolated community.

Digitalisation was taking a toll on the group entertainment to a binge-watching effect long before the pandemic came to stay. We were watching films and listening to music alone. The group entertainment habit was shrinking slowly. The pandemic only aggravated our solo mentality. However, Handagama points that the people are struggling to overcome their isolation. Moviegoers are now crowding in front of theatres in countries like France and Italy.

“They have begun to look for what they had already missed. We have a potential created by the pandemic to gain what we were losing before the pandemic. For that, we need the government to mediate as well. They can adopt creative measures to boost the industry of course with quarantine regulations in force,” Handagama notes.

Sri Lankan cinema is ready to burst out. But how and when is up to the connoisseurs to decide. Time waits for no one. Let us keep that much in mind.


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