MEDIA RELEASE

The National Film Corporation (NFC) of Sri Lanka today convened a high-level stakeholder meeting to advance the establishment of a Single Window Approval System for foreign feature films, documentaries, and other audiovisual productions to be filmed in Sri Lanka.

The meeting was chaired by Mr. Sudath Mahaadivulwewa, Chairman of the National Film Corporation, with the participation of Mr. Ruwan Premaweera, General Manager, together with senior officials representing the Presidential Secretariat, the Ministry of Digital Economy, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism, the Ministry of Defence, the Department of Wildlife Conservation, the Department of Forest Conservation, the Department of Archaeology, the Central Cultural Fund, the Galle Heritage Foundation, the Department of Irrigation, the Department of National Zoological Gardens, the Department of Posts, Sri Lanka Police, the Sri Lanka Ports Authority, Airport and Aviation Services (Sri Lanka) (Private) Limited, the Civil Aviation Authority of Sri Lanka, and several other stakeholder institutions.

The meeting followed decisions reached during an earlier discussion held at the Presidential Secretariat under the chairmanship of the Secretary to the President, Dr. Nandika Sanath Kumanayake, where agreement was reached to develop a digital platform through which all approvals required for foreign film and audiovisual productions could be obtained through a single point of access.

The initiative is being implemented under the guidance of the Presidential Task Force established to support Sri Lanka's tourism development programme. It seeks to simplify and streamline the approval process, enhance transparency, strengthen inter-agency coordination, and improve the ease of doing business for international production companies seeking to film in Sri Lanka.

Currently, foreign production companies are required to obtain approvals separately from multiple government and provincial institutions, resulting in administrative complexity and processing delays. The proposed Single Window Approval System will enable applicants to submit approval requests through a single digital platform while preserving the statutory authority and responsibilities of each participating institution.

During the meeting, stakeholders discussed the operational framework of the proposed digital platform, institutional roles and responsibilities, implementation timelines, and coordination mechanisms. It was agreed that each institution would nominate a Focal Point Officer to coordinate the initiative and provide the National Film Corporation with detailed information on approval procedures, application forms, required documentation, applicable laws and regulations, internal processes, processing timelines, applicable fees, and other relevant requirements.

Based on the information received, the National Film Corporation, in collaboration with the Ministry of Digital Economy, will commence the preliminary development of the Single Window Digital Approval System. Once implemented, the platform will provide a unified digital gateway through which all approvals required for foreign film and audiovisual productions in Sri Lanka can be processed efficiently, transparently, and in a coordinated manner.