Letter of Fire under government fire
Sri Lanka’s Free Media Movement (FMM) has expressed serious concern bout the possible ban of Ashoka Handagama’s film Aksharaya (Letter of Fire) by the Ministry of Cultural Affairs, even though the film has been approved by the Public Performances Board.
Independent of the possibility of the ban itself, we are equally concerned that media personnel in Sri Lanka continue to suffer from an inability to freely express their views. Art in general, and film in particular, serve to scrutinize social behaviour and norms. The imposition of a higher morality, in the form of arguments and actions that prevent any media from stimulating public debate on social norms, such as the ban contemplated by the Ministry of Culture, forces media personnel to censor their own work, deprives the public of artistic works of merit, denies people the freedom of choice, and strangles the growth of free media and filmmaking.
Mr. Handagama’s film explores serious topics in a manner that pushes the boundaries of social critique and filmmaking. The film offers an unflinching look at the darker issues of humanity, exploring relationships between mother and son, husband and wife, gender and society, morality and sexuality, of those in positions of power and authority and those excluded from them.
The film explores an incestuous relationship and abuse. It is an unflinching look at the darker issues of humanity, exploring relationships between mother and son, husband and wife, gender and society, morality and sexuality, of those in positions of power and authority and those excluded from it. Culture Minister Mahinda Yapa Abeywardana said he would not allow the film to be screened unless several cuts were made.
Monday 01 May 2006 | Paul | Sri Lanka
this movie should be released. the good talent of sri lankan artists should not be allowed to go without people seeing it. the government needs to grow up. it is a bloody good movie.
The movie should be released as today such topics need to be dealt with. The government cannot close their eyes and do what ever they want. thet need to be bold and grow up in subjects like these. We need no moral police. the people are quite responsible and matured enough to know the good and the bad. It is a fantastic and well made movie.
It sounds as if the Christians — or other colonising religions — are making their presence felt.
The price of Christianity is sterility. The bishops are trained in making society sterile, while , at the same time, they harness the boys and girls of every nation for the universal Christian war. Having no wives or chilren of their own in some religions, the cuckoo aspects of their skills are remarkable. Without one child in the whole Roman Catholic army, for example, there is not one of them who feels that he is not an instant expert on family life, sexuality, fertility, and education. Besides pliticians and fatherhood, being a priest is the best way to be regarded as an expert on everything social without having as much as a year’s training in any secular social science.
When Ireland got its independence, the lenghts to whcih the Roman Catholic Church went to secure every one’s silence was amazing. The Censorship Board (with ownership of the schools ) was the Catholic device to brain-wash the country. And this they did with tepid moral arguments and atrocious violence agasint chilren in the schools. Censorship is also the way to silence the social sciences, where the Christian chruches heap their priests an nuns an ex-nuns an ex-priests. Unfortunately, most of the church-appointments are so ignorant that it is a constant effort by the dominant church to hide up their mistakes and shortcomings.
Quite recently the Archbishop of Dublin , Diarmuid Martin, was forced to release a report that was so scathing of their operations in Artane Industrial School, that it had to be hidden for over 45 years.
Where was the Irish Department of Education and the Department of Justice for these 45 years?: Buried in the Roman Catholic Church’s back pocket. Notwithstanding the scanalous charges made in the Report of 1962, the RC Church (and the Irish State — a Republic! mind you) continued its fearful abuse right up to the present day. And with one of the highest suicide rates in Europe the Irish bishops have the timerity to suggest that suicide is caused by people who question the church. In the famous Ferns case, only broght to light by some English people, there were several suicides –but do you think this rediculous church wouldd ever consider itself or its buggering clerics to blame? No way!
Censorship operates mostly to hide the criminally powerful whether Christian or not
Seamus Breathnach
http://www.irish-criminology.com