The first Sri Lankan film screening in South Africa took place on 19th November 2011 when The Sri Lankan High Commission in Pretoria screened the film “The God King” at the Ster Kinekor Prime Movie Park in Sandton Johannesburg. The event was attended by approximately 100 people from South Africa’s expatriate Sri Lankan Community as well as officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and other Government Departments.
Sri Lanka’s High Commissioner to South Africa Shehan Ratnavale initiated proceedings with a brief overview of both the artistic and architectural wonders of the Sigiriya civilization, and underlined its importance and tourism appeal as one of eight UNESCO world heritage sites in Sri Lanka.
Despite its age, the film was received with much appreciation. Many members of the Sri Lankan community said that they had never seen the film and were delighted at the opportunity of seeing this dramatized version of the king Kashyapa story. The South Africans who attended said they found the film both entertaining and educational in terms of the history of the island, its people and impressive irrigation system that had been initiated such a long time ago. Many stressed the importance of preserving this film for posterity.
A networking event was also hosted by the High Commission during the interval.
High Commission of Sri Lanka
Pretoria, South Africa.
21.11.2011
