D. B. Nihalsinghe

Dr. Diongu Badaturuge Nihalsingha (known as D. B. Nihalsinghe, 27 May 1939 – 21 April 2016) was an accomplished Sri Lankan film director, cinematographer, editor, producer. He was noted for his versatility : as a film cameraman, as a film director, as a (pioneering) television director, as an administrator, and as a teacher. He is a pioneer who introduced professional television production to Sri Lanka (in 1979), commencing with Sri Lanka's and South Asia's first color teledrama, Dimuthu Muthu. He was the founding Chief Executive Officer and General Manager of Sri Lanka's National Film Corporation and a distinguished alumni of the then University of Ceylon, Peradeniya (presently University of Peradeniya). He is the only Sri Lankan who has been conferred Life Fellowship of the Society of Motion picture and Television Engineers USA, the oldest film organisation in the world, established in 1915. The Society determines film and television standards worldwide.

His best known work is Welikathara, Sri Lanka's first and South Asia's second Cinemascope film, included as among the ten best Sri Lankan films awarded the Sri Lanka Presidential award, while Maldeniye Simiyon is also noted for the award for its actress Anoja Weerasinghe as Best Actress at the 16th New Delhi International Film Festival. Two more of his films, Ridei Nimanaya and Kelimadala are also noteworthy, with the latter winning the highest number of national awards at that time. He is also notable for being the pioneer with first ever degree for TV and cinema degree from the University of Kelaniya.

Biography

Early life Nihalsinghe was an accomplished student leader as Head Prefect and as Sergeant of the cadet platoon at Ananda college and originally hoped to join the army. By the time he left school he had become more interested in film. As a present for completing the SSC examination, Nihalsinghe's father veteran journalist D.B Dhanapala presented him with a 16mm Bolex cine camera.

Nihalsingha entered the University of Ceylon at Peradeniya and read for a degree in Economics. While at the University he did the camera work for the first documentary to be made by University students, "Niyanada Rata", directed by a student K.K.L de Silva.

After leaving the University, Nihalsingha got an opportunity to enter the film field when a friend of his father offered him a job as a cameraman for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation in Colombo which he took. In 1965 he was offered a post with Hearst Metrotone News on the weekly newsreel, Metro News for the Military Assistance Command in Vietnam. as fresh in an industry where massive Mitchell Indian-style immobile camera work was the norm.

At the age of 29, Nihalsingha became the youngest person to hold the post of Director of the Ceylon Government Film Unit, succeeding George Wicremasinghe (who was its first Sri Lankan Director). The Government Film Unit is the one institution with continuity whose productions have won the highest number of international awards for its documentaries.

Besides invigorating documentary film production, he was instrumental in introducing 35 mm still film to Sri Lanka to replace 120 film when he was asked to oversee the photographic aspects of the National Identity Card project. Using Practica cameras gifted by the (then) East Germany and amid much opposition of photographers, he managed to win them over and thereby establish 35 mm still film as the staple of Sri Lankan still photography until that was overtaken by digital photography.

Nihalsingha's skill as film administrator was best seen in the work he did as founding CEO and general manager of the State Film Corporation from 1972 to 1978. To offset foreign domination of Sri Lankan theatres (80 percent), Nihalsingha launched a series of initiatives which unleashed the suppressed demand for domestically produced films. The initiatives resulted in audience surging from 30 million a year in annual attendances in 1971 to an unprecedented 74.4 million by 1979. The domestic film share of screen time went up from 20% in 1971 to 58% in 1979.( Committee of Inquiry Report, 1985; Committee Report 1997)