July 18, Colombo (LNW): Sri Lankan film directors are urging a ban on mobile phones in cinemas following a recent incident where a film was illegally recorded and uploaded to social media.
Teledrama and film director Jayantha Chandrasiri addressed the media, emphasising the necessity of banning mobile phones in cinemas to safeguard the efforts and financial returns of film producers.
Chandrasiri called on cinema owners to implement this measure and urged the Sri Lanka Film Corporation to issue an official directive on the matter.
He highlighted that, internationally, audiences are prohibited from bringing cameras or mobile phones into stage plays, a practice that should be adopted in Sri Lankan cinemas as well.
These comments were made in response to the recent illegal recording and uploading of the film ‘Sinhabahu’ on social media.
A 24-year-old man from Kandy has been arrested for illegally recording and uploading the film, which was directed by Somaratne Dissanayake, the President of the Film Directors Guild of Sri Lanka, to YouTube.
