Director's column
Cinemaya 45/1999

Prasanna Vithanage
Interview By: Robert Crusz

Lessons From My First Film

I had been writing script and trying to make a film for about ten years before I was approached by actor/Producer Sanath Gunathileke with the outline script of ice on fire (1992) which he had written.

I was full of myself and had very naïve ideas about the role of the director, about working with actors and about many aspects of the filmmaking process. I wanted to make my mark instantly. This was due to my insecurity and, therefore, I had to impress everyone with what I knew and what I could do. I was working with two of Sri Lanka's major box office stars at the time Sanath Gunathileke and Sabitha Perera, and the best technicians in the business. This was a lean period in Sri Lankan film production, so the best were available and they had a lot of time to spend with me.

My idea was that the director had to control everything - like a dictator. I worked from a detailed technical script. Every shot, montage sequence, all the edits - they were all carefully pre-planned and written down. I took control in the editing room and ordered all the cuts. The editing was completed in two weeks. I had too much to say in the film. The pent-up passion which had built up over ten years of waiting to make a film simply got out of control and it shows on screen; I now feel I lost focus on the central premise of the story. I tried to deal with too many themes and ideas at once and in many aspects in the film was not truthful. One cannot set out to impress others and retain cinematic truth at the same time. For instance, our country was going through the terror and counter-terror of the second insurgency of the JVP (Peoples Liberation Front). This influenced the way I saw politicians. Their portrayal is very superficial and cliché ridden. Also, the way I handled the lead female role has come in for heavy criticism from certain feminist and gender sensitive quarters. Since this film I have learning a lot and in fact every film is a now a learning process. I hope I never stop learning. The day I feel I know everything about filmmaking is the day I will stop making films. Continue