110 minutes
Set in rural Sri Lanka, Sumitra Peries’ debut film is a heartbreaking, poetic tale of two sisters who face insurmountable class barriers. Filled with dreamy black-and-white imagery, The Girls is a lyrical exploration of two young girls whose fragile dreams are crushed by the heavy hand of tradition, morality, and patriarchy.
Film Notes by Shivendra Singh Dungarpur
It was my long-time friendship with legendary Dr Lester James Peries who often drew me to Colombo first, but over time I discovered Sumitra Peries––editor, filmmaker, producer and diplomat. Referred to as the Poetess of Sri Lankan Cinema, she went on to make nine films after the success of her debut film Gehenu Lamai, all of which centred on female protagonists. Sumitra Peries often spoke about her wish to restore her films, but restoration seemed far-fetched, when the National Film Corporation was battling for the survival of the film’s elements. I knew that if we did not act soon, we could lose the film forever. Recognised as the Outstanding Film of the Year at the 1978 London Film Festival and described as “spare and restrained, with shimmering black-andwhite images,” by critic David Robinson who wrote “the film is a rarity, maybe unique, as a work of a wholly feminine sensibility.” Gehenu Lamai, set in rural Sri Lanka, is a lyrical film that tells the moving tale of two sisters whose dreams and aspirations come to nought in the face of rigid social conventions and insurmountable class barriers. The film beautifully captures the confusion and fragility of adolescent love and yearning, further elevated by an outstanding performance by a 16-year-old Wasanthi Chathurani as Kusum in her debut role. The restoration was the most challenging of the films that we had taken up so far at L’Immagine Ritrovata laboratory. The film literally had to be constructed from three different elements ranging in condition from average to poor to critical, with badly marred images, problematic sound and embedded subtitles. Working on the resurrection of her film was very emotional for me. I was struck by the imagery, the sensuality of the close-ups, the poetry of the cinematic language, the intensity of the performances and the many-layered complexity of the relationships between the characters… it made me marvel at the fact that it was her first film. I only wish that Sumitra Peries was still with us so I could show her the beauty of her film come to life again.
Copy from Film Heritage Foundation. Restored in 2024 by Film Heritage Foundation in association with Lester James Peries and Sumitra Peries Foundation at L’Immagine Ritrovata laboratory, from the 35mm combined dupe negative and two 35mm prints preserved at National Film Corporation of Sri Lanka. Funding by FISCH: FranceIndia – Sri Lanka Cine Heritage – Saving Film Across Borders.
Presented by Archives on Screen
Archives on Screen (AoS) brings rare, unseen archival films from around the globe to Minnesota. Co-founded in 2022 by Michelle Baroody and Maggie Hennefeld, AoS has worked with international film archives and local film venues to expose students, diverse audiences, and underserved populations to the richness of cinema history. We screen everything from silent films to contemporary features, focusing primarily on counter-cinemas, such as feminist and queer films, world cinema, and anti-colonial productions. Our events facilitate public education, community engagement, and open conversation about how the archives of film history can help us to imagine different worlds and alternative futures. Archives on Screen’s flagship program, Il Cinema Ritrovato on Tour, is a curated selection of films from Il Cinema Ritrovato, an annual international film festival that exhibits new restorations and rediscovered films in Bologna, Italy every summer. We also host a quarterly screening series at the Trylon Cinema in Minneapolis and regular screenings at the Heights Theater and other local venues. Learn more about Archives on Screen at archivesonscreen.org
Relased 1978
Directed by Sumitra Peries