Boston Lanka to pave the way for local film industry to venture into international entertainment are

A USA-based media agency with its roots firmly planted in Sri Lankan soil, Boston Lanka plans to pave the way for the Sri Lankan film industry to venture into the international entertainment arena. Here, Boston Lanka Founder Chitral De Mel shares his views on the venture:

Q: How old is Boston Lanka?

A: Just six years old and as mischievous as ever.

Q: Boston Lanka seems to have matured beyond its years in the industry?

A: We constantly bring to life fresh and inventive ideas. That’s our secret.

Q: Are you planning to build a bridge towards Hollywood?

A: Yes, Sri Lanka is blessed with a number of supremely talented film makers. However, their genius is limited to the Sri Lankan audience and rarely breaks into the wider market. On the other hand, there are numerous American film makers of Sri Lankan origin who have strong ties with Hollywood. I would like to connect the two and pave the way, however small to let our film makers to enter the global entertainment industry. My contribution may be of the slightest scale but I hope that this will be a launching pad for bigger things to come.

Q: Your efforts to assist local film makers to aim for international awards will be a blessing to the industry. Would you like to elaborate? 

A: International level recognition is a point of pride for any film maker. Some Sri Lankan film makers of incredible creative genius struggle to gain international recognition due to lack of funds and other obstacles. We hope to assist such individuals financially and through our networks to submit their work to international film festivals and take local cinema to the next level. We will use a selection process involving veterans to pick deserving artists. If anyone is interested in this particular project, I request them to contact us through contact@bostanlanka.

Q: Could you talk a little bit about the Boston Lanka Beauty Pageants?

A: Miss Global International Sri Lanka was a special project. We sent the winner on a tour of USA. In addition, we assisted a few of our beautiful women to participate in the Mrs. International US and Mrs Gorgeous International, Italy beauty pageants. 

So far, we’ve been fortunate enough to be the official representatives of Sri Lankan contestants in 4 international beauty pageants. We select each contestant from a pool based on their qualifications and talent under the supervision of a panel of experienced professionals in the industry. 

Q: Can you briefly describe Boston Lanka TV and Radio channels?

A: We’ve attracted a strong viewership for our overseas TV programmes. Our radio programmes cater to the Sinhala and English listeners for the moment but we hope to recruit a strong contender with vast experience in Tamil language radio programmes in the near future. 

Q: You’ve already ventured into the television series arena?

A: Yes, ‘Adaraneeya Nayagara’ is a great example of our success, specifically a success that sprang from the tireless dedication of the whole team which braved freezing conditions to complete the series. Moreover, this is the only Sri Lankan television series that was filmed entirely in the USA. This is going to be a brand new experience to our audience. 

Q: The Boston Lanka music label seems to be prepared to take on inventive projects?

A: I want to express my gratitude to Prof. Arjuna Balasooriya for his contribution to this venture. He composed music for all five songs in the television series. He is a true artist who works as a lecturer in an American University. We are always happy to provide media sponsorship to Sri Lankan musicians who wish to perform in America. Further, we look forward to assisting musically talented Sri Lankans or citizens of Sri Lankan origin living in America to produce their own songs and allow them to air their songs on our radio channel. We embrace diversity and therefore, we are ready to provide this service to all Sri Lankans across the globe. 

Q: Would you care to reminiscence about the journey of Boston Lanka? 

A: Sri Lankans living in America didn’t have a proper media platform to express their views, talents and gain exposure. The web TV came to life in 2010 in our basement, thanks to my wife’s dedication and hard work. Today, expand into two Mini TV Studios, a 24 hour web radio station and a strong network connection that spans across North America. Viewers and listeners can tune into our media stations on http://www.bostonlankaradio.com/and www.uslanka.netfrom anywhere in the world. 

(By Nirasha Piyawadani)