COURT EXTENDS ENJOINING ORDER AGAINST NFC

The Colombo District Court yesterday extended an enjoining order against the National Film Corporation (NFC) preventing it from distributing films till August 6.

The plaint filed by the private film distributors viz. EAP Films and Theatres Ltd., Movie Producers and Importers (Pvt) Ltd., Lanka Film Distributors Company Limited and Cinema Entertainment (Pvt) Limited, cited NFC as defendant and came up before district judge R.P.D.P.P. Ratnayake.

Three intervenient petitions objecting the enjoining order -- filed by the Sri Lanka Cinema Directors Forum, the President and the Secretary of Associations of Actors as well as Rohan Weliwita and Eranga Senaratne -- were also taken up.

Appearing for the Attorney General, Deputy Solicitor General (DSG) Sumathi Dharmawardena said the court had no jurisdiction to issue an enjoining order in view of the National Film Corporation Act. However, appearing for the petitioners, counsel S.A. Parthalingham said the court had jurisdiction as NFC had acted mala fide (in bad faith). The court directed all parties to file written submission on the question of jurisdiction.

President’s Counsel S.A. Parthalingham with N.R. Sivendran and Achini Ranasinghe, instructed by Anoma Goonetilleka, appeared for the plaintiffs. The plaintiffs said it was brought to the notice of the Cabinet that the monopoly in the local cinema industry, which was in the hands of NFC, had not proved effective both in formulating policies to meet new developments and in the management of distributing local films and other related activities. They seek a Cabinet decision to hand over the distribution of films to the private sector.

The plaintiffs said consequent to the applications made by them, a written agreement was entered. They said the National Film Corporation under ‘Rithma’ distribution equally distributed films to the various theatres.