The Girls

The 4K restoration of The Girls, the debut feature by director Sumitra Peries, is the result of a complex reconstruction using the best elements from three different sources preserved by the National Film Corporation of Sri Lanka—a 35mm synchronous internegative and two 35mm distribution prints. The Girls follows Kusum, an obedient young woman who falls in love with Nimal, a wealthy man whose household she works in. While Kusum experiences an impossible love, her sister Soma also faces an unexpected challenge. Named Best Film of the Year at the London Film Festival, this work explores the end of innocence and exposes the weight of tradition and patriarchy.