Please preserve "Thunveni Yamaya" (The Third Watch) - An appeal by award-winning Sri Lankan Artist Dharmasiri Bandaranayake

He wrote the script and directed and edited the film. The music Director was Late Dr Premasiri Kemadasa. 

This was the first film in Sri Lanka that opened up sexuality for discussion at a time when talking about such issues was so taboo.

All of Kala Keerthi and Dharmasiri Bandaranayake’s artistic creations have dealt with the issues of national and political importance in Sri Lanka. He attempts to connect the socio-political environment with the civil society through art. His debut Hansa Vilak (Swan Lake) in 1980 dealt with facets of a society at odds with itself. His other films like Thunveni Yamaya (The Third Watch), Suddilage Kathawa (Women in a Whirlpool), Bawa Duka (The Sorrow of Existence Part 1) and Bawa Karma (The Sorrow of Existence Part 2) were based on similar themes. In particular, Bawa Duka and Bawa Karma critically examined the repressive dogmatic interpretation of Buddhist Philosophy in Sri Lanka. His films generally followed themes that dealt with " the conflicted lives of men and women, transformation of private lives into public affairs, the unpleasant reality of marriage and society and the dark side of human desire".

He has cemented his name as an acclaimed dramatist with productions such as Eka Adhipathi (The Dictator), Makarakshaya (The Dragon), Dhawala Bheeshana (Men without Shadows), Yakshagamanaya (The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui) and Trojan Kanthavo (Trojan Women) dealing with issues of national and political importance. He endeavoured to build bridges through art between civil society and the socio-political environment in Sri Lanka.

As he has explained in Sinhala in his video appeal below, the acetate film and the negative of this film has been subject to deterioration (Please refer the photos attached). To save this film it has to be immediately digitised. For the most fragile films, the life span available for digitisation is months not years. With the objective of digitising and restoring his film, he has handed over the remains of the film to Prasad Film Lab Services in Madras, India. The laboratory has asked him to pay USD 16,343 within the next 15 days (at the end of this email, I have cited a part of this quote), for the process to be carried out. I understand that he cannot afford to pay such a large sum of money.

By ensuring the digitisation and restoration of this film, we will be preserving this historic work of creative art of the eighties for future generations. In light of this situation, I earnestly urge you to kindly consider his appeal to save this film. He has even expressed his willingness to transfer the rights to the film to an individual or entity willing to pay the whole sum needed.

I earnestly request you to help him in the best way you could, by making a financial contribution to realise this objective. You could make a contribution directly to the following account specifically opened for this purpose:

Account name: K D Bandaranayake

Account Number: 8116030966

Commercial Bank Reid Avenue Branch, Reid Avenue, Colombo 04, Sri Lanka

Donations and enquiries can be made to Mr Bandaranayake, an associate of the National Film Corporation of Sri Lanka located at no. 303, Bauddhaloka Mawatha Colombo 7, Sri Lanka.

You may contact him directly on +94112584623.

Please pass on this message to anyone you believe would be able to help in this matter.

- Dr Lionel Bopage