Movies are not just a source of entertainment but pure magic that captures our imagination and emotions. As a teenager, I was besotted with the wonder of cinema. The moving images, the dialogues, and the music were like a symphony that trapped me completely. I eagerly watched every movie my school screened for charity; the cowboys and heroes like Monte Christo and Robin Hood were my absolute favourites.
My passion for movies only grew with time. I was fascinated by the intricate workings of the movie theatre, the film rolls, the mechanism of lights, projectors, and dark rooms. I was always on the lookout for anything related to films, and when my classmate gave me some discarded film strips, I felt like I had struck gold.
But I didn’t just want to collect the 16mm film strips. I wanted to showcase them in my private cinema, where I could revel in the magic of cinema. I had no money to buy a mini projector, so I had to rely on my imagination and ingenuity.
I took an old shoebox, my mother’s scissors, and my father’s Eveready torch and got to work. I cut a small hole in the side of the shoebox, just big enough for a single frame of the 16mm film strip to be visible. I placed the torch inside the box and turned it on, pointing it at the blank wall above my bed. Then I covered the door, window, and grill with anything I could find, like bedsheets and sarongs, to create total darkness.
My father’s Eveready torch
When everything was ready, I moved the film strip in front of the hole in the shoebox, and suddenly, I was transported to another world. The moving images flickered on the wall, and I was utterly mesmerised by the magic of cinema. Even though it was just a few feet of a film strip, it felt like I was watching a full-length movie. Of course, it was never a movie, for I could not move the strip at the speed of film projectors. It looked more like a still movie. But I felt good and had a sense of achievement.
I felt like a true innovator and creator then, and my passion for movies only intensified.
With my new-found passion for cinema and pride in my makeshift shoebox projector, I was eager to share my love for movies with everyone I knew. My siblings were the first to be subjected to my experiments as I assembled them in my tiny bedroom, closing all the windows and doors to make the room as dark as possible. They were my guinea pigs.
Being younger than me, they were easily impressed and eager to see what I had in store for them. Promising them a wonder, I switched on the Eveready torch and moved the film strip by hand. Their eyes widened with wonder and amazement as they watched the flickering images on the wall.What kind of movies were shown at the author's school charity screenings? How did the author eventually acquire a proper movie projector? Did the author pursue a career in the film industry?
As I became more confident in my abilities, when my classmates dropped in to hang out, I convinced them to my impromptu movie screenings. They were amazed by my makeshift projector and the shows I put on.
Looking back on those days, I realise that my passion for cinema was not just about the movies themselves but the joy of sharing that experience with others. And while my improvised projector may have been a far cry from the high-tech equipment used in movie theatres today, it was the start of a lifelong love affair with the magic of cinema.
Now, as I sit in a state-of-the-art movie theatre surrounded by fellow movie lovers, I can’t help but smile as I think back to those early days and my humble shoebox projector.
Cyril Stanley A story of gratitude — Denzil recalls a friend who looked out for him in his budding years in Sri Lanka Denzil Jayasinghe 11 min read · Aug 27, 2022 1 Give us a bit of background on how you met Cyril. It was the seventies in the sleepy village of Dalugama , my ancestral hometown, some ten kilometres from Colombo. With their flared bell bottoms and Afro-style hair, it was easy to notice Cyril and his younger brother Edward. I’d bump into the duo in the neighbourhood as I walked home after a day at college. A casual hello greeting turned into a conversation and an evolving friendship with the duo at an age when making friends was effortless. However, it was Cyril who reached out to me first. What did the brothers look like? C yril was a younger version of Smokey Robinson and his brother, Edward, a junior Lionel Richie but darker. Both had curly hair, grown long, copying the Afro-American idols of the seventies. Smokey Robinson, Cyril Stan...
A Child of Curiosity How inherent inquisitiveness became a key driver in learning experiences. Denzil Jayasinghe · B orn in the mid-20th century, I am a product of the post-World War II era. My parents, who were teenagers when the war commenced, married in the 1950s. As a representative of the baby boomer generation, I was born under the astrological sign of Capricorn, the tenth sign of the zodiac. My birth took place at Zoysa Nursing Home, a renowned institution in Colombo, Sri Lanka, around 5 in the morning. Sri Lanka, known for its tropical climate, is a beautiful island nation south of India. This climate appealed to me, and I sought similar weather in my twenties, spending them in Dubai, where the winter resembles an Australian summer. Raised by religious parents, I held them in deep affection. However, the church teachings posed a paradox for a young mind, instructing one to love God more than one’s parents. I initially adhered to the Ten Commandments and other societal norms in ...
20 quick-fire questions * If you could give your younger self one piece of advice, what would it be? Your life would not turn the way that you planned. It is OK to be naïve and stupidly young. What do you like doing in your spare time? Writing and reading. Both complement each other. What would you change your name to? My family's name is Jayasinghe. ජයසිංහ in Sinhala in the original script. Phonetically, it is pronounced Jaya-Sinha in Sri Lanka. But in English, through generations, it was spelt Jayasinghe, which sounds differently in English. I would change its spelling to Jaya-Sinha to align it with its original sound. Perhaps my grandkids in Australia could do it. What’s your favourite time of day? The morning hours. I am most productive in the mornings. What is your biggest weakness? I could get carried away with what I could be doing. Sometimes, I must pinch myself to stop what I am doing. What is your favourite colour? Green. Always from my kid days. Would you believe I had...
3 min read·Apr 1
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