NAAL donates projectors to National Film Corporation

The Netherlands Alumni Association of Lanka (NAAL), founded in 1971, is an association comprising of public and private sector personnel, who have attended study and training programmes in the Netherlands.

The NAAL coordinates with SOS Velsen in the Netherlands supporting the Galle Velsen Twin City programme for the last 37 years. During this period, the NAAL was able to bring in many benefits to the city of Galle as well as the other parts of Sri Lanka worth billions of Sri Lanka rupees.

Last year, SOS Velsen Delegation and NAAL President S.P.C. Kumarasinghe, accompanied by the popular film actor Sanath Gunatilake met Chairman National Film Corporation (NFC) Asoka Serasinghe to discuss possibilities of organising Sri Lanka film festival in Velsen in the Netherlands. During the discussion, it was revealed that NFC is in the process of establishing 100 new cinema halls and any assistance to this project is most welcome.

The NAAL President requested Chairman Asoka Serasinghe to make a formal request to the NAAL. This request was recommended and forwarded to the SOS Velsen Board by the NAAL Executive Committee.

Chairman SOS Velsen Board Klaas van Slooten and Dirk van Zonderen (Director of the White Theatre in Velsen) immediately offered the projectors from White theatre and informed the Amstel Film Corporation in the Netherlands to cooperate and collect more 35 mm projectors.

Since all the cinema halls in the Netherlands are being converted to digital screening they were able to collect and donate 12 35-mm film projectors and accessories to the National Film Corporation of Sri Lanka (NFC) to assist the film industry in the country.

The projectors are of Philips (FP 20 five nos. and FP 30 five nos.) and two nos. of Erneman Brand used projectors in good working order.

At the request of the NAAL, the collection packing and shipping costs up to the port of Colombo were paid by the SOS Velsen in the Netherlands. NFC Chairman agreed to clear the projectors from the port of Colombo and receive them. NFC has identified them to be distributed among the already identified cinema halls under their Cinema Wasanthaya project.

The 40 ft high cube container with projectors was shipped on March 2 from the port of Rotterdam, Netherlands and is scheduled to reach the port of Colombo on March 30.

The NAAL has requested the donor, SOS Velsen to address the consignment directly to the Chairman, National Film Corporation, Sri Lanka, said NAAL President S.P.C. Kumarasinghe.