Contents
Films produced in Sri Lanka in the 1970s.
Films produced in Sri Lanka in the 1970s.
| Title | Director | Cast | Genre | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970 | ||||||
| Lakseta Kodiya | Shesha Palihakkara | Joe Abeywickrama, Alfred Perera, A. P. Gunaratne, Sobani Amarasinghe, Samuel Rodrigo, Chandra Kaluarachchi, Thilakasiri Fernando | Drama | Released on 29 January. | ||
| Sumudu Bharya | Cyril P. Abeyratne | Roy de Silva, Jeevarani Kurukulasuriya, Nelson Karunagama, Sumana Amarasinghe, Lilian Edirisinghe,, Don Sirisena, Hilda Agnes | Adult | Released on 4 February. | ||
| Dan Mathakada | Neil Rupasinghe | Malini Fonseka, Ananda Jayaratne, Senadheera Rupasinghe, Dommie Jayawardena, Hugo Fernando, Anthony C. Perera, Bandu Munasinghe, Sumana Amarasinghe | Drama | Released on 17 March. | ||
| Akkara Paha | Lester James Peries | Milton Jayawardena, Anoma Wattaladeniya, Malini Fonseka, Janaki Kurukulasuriya, Gamini Wijesuriya, Shanthi Lekha, Douglas Ranasinghe | Drama | Released on 8 May. | ||
| Aathma Pooja | M. Masthan | Gamini Fonseka, Clarice De Silva, H. D. Kulatunga, Dommie Jayawardena, Senadheera Rupasinghe, Nelson Karunagama, Anthony C. Perera, Shanthi Lekha | Drama | Released on 18 May. | ||
| Thewatha | Titus Thotawatte | Joe Abeywickrama, Iranganie Serasinghe, Francis Perera, Nihal Jayawardena, Anthony C. Perera, Pearl Vasudevi, B. S. Perera | Drama | Released on 16 June. | ||
| Geetha | Jo Dev Ananda | Roy de Silva, Janaki Kurukulasuriya, H. R. Jothipala, Mabel Blythe, Dharma Sri Ranatunga, Stanley Perera, Nita Fernando, Don Sirisena | Romance | Released on 15 July. | ||
| Penawa Neda | Wijepala Hettiarachchi | Tony Ranasinghe, Anula Karunathilaka, Sriyani Amarasena, Robin Fernando, Oswald Jayasinghe, Lilian Edirisinghe, D. R. Nanayakkara | Drama | Released on 7 August. | ||
| Sidadiyen Hayak | Shanthi Abeysekara | Padma Siriwardena, Shanthi Abeysekara, Ralph Wijesekara, Asoka Hewawitharana, M. P. Gemunu, Joe Livera, Sathischandra Edirisinghe, Saranapala Suriarachchi | Drama | Released on 26 August. | ||
| Priyanga | Amaranath Jayathilake | Vijaya Kumaratunga, Kanthi Lanka, Sriyani Amarasena, Iranganie Serasinghe, Wijeratne Warakagoda, G. W. Surendra, S. A. Jamis | Romance | Released on 20 September. | ||
| Ohoma Hondada | J. Selvarathnam | Gamini Fonseka, Sonia Disa, Robin Fernando, Freddie Silva, B. S. Perera, Baptist Fernando, D. R. Nanayakkara, Hugo Fernando | Comedy | Released on 11 October. | ||
| Thun Man Handiya | Mahagama Sekera | Joe Abeywickrama, Denawaka Hamine, Shanthi Lekha, Kumara Balasooriya, Dharmadasa Kuruppu, Gemunu Wijesuriya, Somasiri Dehipitiya, Swarna Mallawarachchi | Drama | Released on 24 October. | ||
| Nim Walalla | Ranjith Lal | Nissanka Amarasinghe, Janaki Kurukulasuriya, Swarna Mallawarachchi, Tissa Wijesurendra, Rukmani Devi, Cyril Wickramage, Piyadasa Gunasekera | Drama | Released on 18 November. | ||
| Ves Gaththo | Vasantha Obeysekera | Cyril Wickremage, Namel Weeramuni, Somasiri Dehipitiya, Wimal Kumara de Costa, Daya Thennakoon, Prema Ganegoda, Lucien Bulathsinhala | Drama | Released on 10 December. | ||
| Suli Sulang | Anton Fernando | Vijitha Mallika, Wally Nanayakkara, Hugo Fernando,, H. D. Kulatunga, D. R. Nanayakkara, Leena Fernando, Anthony C. Perera | Drama | Released on 24 December. | ||
| Title | Director | Cast | Genre | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1972 | ||||||
| Nidhanaya | Lester James Peiris | Gamini Fonseka, Malini Fonseka, Devika Karunaratne, Francis Perera, Saman Bokalawala, Mapa Gunaratne, Shanthi Lekha, Trilicia Gunawardena | Thriller | Released on 3 February. | ||
| Sahanaya | J. Selvarathnam | Gamini Fonseka, Malini Fonseka, Baptist Fernando, Mark Samaranayake, Rukmani Devi, Shanthi Lekha, Denawaka Hamine, H. R. Jothipala | Drama | Released on 1 March. | ||
| Wehi Lihini | Chandra S. Perera | Thimothi Ponmebrink, Sunila Jayanthi, P. P. Danawardana, Rani Gunawardana, Denawaka Hamine | Drama | Released on 15 March. | ||
| Sithijaya | Sarathchandra Herath | Kanthi Lanka, Wehalle Piyathilake, Eddie Junior, Miyuri Samarasinghe, Pearl Vasudevi | Drama | Released on 29 March. Debut Music direction of Sarath Dassanayake. | ||
| Edath Sooraya Adath Sooraya | Lenin Moraes | Gamini Fonseka, Malini Fonseka, Sonia Disa, Senadheera Rupasinghe, Lionel Deraniyagala, Alexander Fernando, Anthony C. Perera, Bandu Munasinghe | Action | Released on 7 April. | ||
| Sujeewa | Jo Dev Anand | Roy de Silva, Kanthi Lanka, H. R. Jothipala, Bandu Munasinghe, Freddie Silva, Don Sirisena | Drama | Released on 12 April. | ||
| Singapuru Charlie | Dommie Jayawardena | Sandhya Kumari, Anthony C. Perera, Dommie Jayawardena, Robin Fernando, Roy de Silva, Sumana Amarasinghe, Alexander Fernando | Comedy Action | Released on 19 May. | ||
| Ada Mehemai | Robin Tampoe | Oswald Jayasinghe, Ruvina Deepani, Devika Karunaratne, Alexander Fernando, Anthony C. Perera, Lilian Edirisinghe, B. S. Perera | Drama | Released on 22 May. | ||
| Atheethayen Kathawak | R. B. Adhikari | Henry Jayasena (voice), Nimal Dayaratne, Usha Samarasighe | Drama | Released on 15 June. | ||
| Hithaka Pipunu Mal | S. Ramanathan | Senadheera Rupasinghe, Srimathi Ranaweera, Robin Fernando, Beula Dias, Don Sirisena, Shanthi Lekha, Eddie Junior, Nawanandana Wijesinghe | Drama | Released on 16 June. | ||
| Hathara Wate | L. M. Perera | L. M. Perera, Dommie Jayawardena, Roy de Silva, Stanley Perera, Sumana Amarasinghe, D.R. Nanayakkara, Rukmani Devi, Piyadasa Gunasekera | Action | Released on 22 June. | ||
| Veeduru Gewal | Daya Wimalaweera | Senadheera Rupasinghe, Kumari Manel, Rukmani Devi, Piyadasa Gunasekera, Alexander Fernando, Basil De Saram, Joe Abeywickrama, Thalatha Gunasekara | Drama | Released on 14 July. | ||
| Lokuma Hinawa | K. A. W. Perera | Oswald Jayasinghe, Sumana Amarasinghe, D.R. Nanayakkara, L. M. Perera, Robin Fernando, Rex Kodippili, Herbert Amarawickrama, Lilian Edirisinghe | Drama | Released on 28 July. | ||
| Me Dasa Kumatada | Timothy Weeraratne | Vijaya Kumaranatunga, Malini Fonseka, Roy de Silva, Sumana Amarasinghe, Mark Samaranayake, Eddie Junior, Thalatha Gunasekara | Romance | Released on 2 September. | ||
| Sihina Lowak | Cyril Wickramage | Cyril Wickramage, Shirley Gomes, Wimal Kumara de Costa, Dharmadasa Kuruppu, Ivan Panditharatne, Daya Thennakoon | Drama | Released on 8 September. | ||
| Ihatha Athmaya | K. A. W. Perera | Ananda Jayaratne, Anula Karunathilaka, D. R. Nanayakkara, Robin Fernando, Rex Kodippili, Rukmani Devi, David Dharmakeerthi | Thriller | Released on 5 October. | ||
| Aadare Hithenawa Dekkama | Neil Rupasinghe | Gamini Fonseka, Vijaya Kumaranatunga, Malini Fonseka, Tony Ranasinghe, Alexander Fernando, Gunapala Weerasekara, Shyama Algama | Musical drama | Released on 3 November. | ||
| Miringuwa | Amarasena Kumarasinghe | Gamini Fonseka, Edna Sugathapala, Stanley Perera, Sonia Disa, Shane Gunaratne, L. M. Perera, Piyadasa Wijekoon | Action | Released on 17 November. | ||
| Wanaraja | William Blake | Basil de Seram, Vijaya Kumaratunga, Pearl Cooray, Piyadasa Gunasekera, Thalatha Gunasekara, Pujitha Mendis, Sunila Jayanthi, Nawanandana Wijesinghe | Drama | Released on 21 December. | ||
Sri Lanka, historically known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian peninsula by the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait. It shares a maritime border with the Maldives in the southwest and India in the northwest.
Kovilage Anton Vijaya Kumaranatunga, popularly known as Vijaya Kumaratunga, was a Sri Lankan actor, playback singer and a politician, regarded as one of the most popular icons in Sri Lankan cinema of all time. He was married to former Sri Lankan President Chandrika Kumaranatunga from 1978 until his assassination in 1988. He was the Founder of Sri Lanka Mahajana Party.
Mass media of Sri Lanka consist of several different types of communications media: television, radio, newspapers, magazines, and Web sites. State and private media operators provide services in the main languages Sinhala, Tamil and English. The government owns two major TV stations, radio networks operated by the Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation (SLBC), and newspaper titles in Sinhala, Tamil, and English.
Sri Lankan cinema encompasses the Sri Lankan film industry. It is a fledgling industry that has struggled to find a footing since its inauguration in 1947 with Kadawunu Poronduwa produced by S. M. Nayagam of Chitra Kala Movietone. Sri Lankan films are usually made in Sinhala and Tamil, the dominant languages of the country.
Kumara Vidugalage Dona Geetha Samanmalee Kumarasinghe, popularly known as Geetha Kumarasinghe, is a Sri Lankan film actress and Member of a Parliament. She is the current State Minister of Women and Child Affairs.
of release.
Mohammed Gauss also known as Mohamed Ghouse, was a Sri Lankan film music composer. His compositions for Sinhala cinema in the 1950s are credited by music critics as having been influential in developing a Sri Lankan style of film composition distinct from that of Indian films.
Pathiraja Navaratne Wanninayake Mudiyanselage Ranjith Dharmasena was a Sri Lankan film director and screenwriter. He has been referred to as a 'rebel with a cause', an ‘enfant terrible of the '70s', and is widely recognized as the pioneer of Sri Lankan cinema’s 'second revolution'. He is also renowned as an academic, playwright and poet.
Kala Keerthi Sumitra Peries was a Sri Lankan filmmaker. She was the first female film director from Sri Lanka. and was known as the "Poetess of Sinhala Cinema". She also held the post of Sri Lanka's ambassador to France, Spain and the United Nations in the late 1990s. Of her films the more popular ones are Gehenu Lamai, Ganga Addara and Yahaluvo. She was married to the most prolific Sri Lankan film director Dr. Lester James Peries.
Chandran Rutnam is a Sri Lankan filmmaker and entrepreneur.
Dr. Diongu Badaturuge Nihalsingha was an accomplished Sri Lankan film director, cinematographer, editor, producer. He was noted for his versatility : as a film cameraman, as a film director, as a (pioneering) television director, as an administrator, and as a teacher. He is a pioneer who introduced professional television production to Sri Lanka, commencing with Sri Lanka's and South Asia's first color teledrama, Dimuthu Muthu. He was the founding Chief Executive Officer and General Manager of Sri Lanka's National Film Corporation and a distinguished alumni of the then University of Ceylon, Peradeniya. He is the only Sri Lankan who has been conferred Life Fellowship of the Society of Motion picture and Television Engineers USA, the oldest film organisation in the world, established in 1915. The Society determines film and television standards worldwide.
Deshabandu Tissa Ananda Abeysekara was a Sri Lankan filmmaker, actor, writer, director, screen playwright and political activist. He is better known as a script writer for the cinema as well as a film director. In 1996, his book Bringing Tony Home won the prestigious Gratiaen Prize for the new creative writing in English. He was the chief coordinator of FOSWAL in Sri Lanka and honoured awardee of SAARC Literary Award.
Sri Lankan Tamil cinema is a small filmmaking industry based in Sri Lanka, which has made under 100 Tamil language films as of 2013. it is separate from its Indian counterpart, the Tamil cinema of Kodambakkam in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, as many Sri Lankan Tamil actors work in Sri Lankan films or independent Tamil films overseas, although a few noted Tamil actors in India were born in Sri Lanka. Sri Lankan Tamil cinema's growth has largely been stalled due to the Sri Lankan Civil War.
Vishvanath Buddhika Keerthisena, also known as Boodee Keerthisena, is a Sri Lankan filmmaker. He began his career drawing comics before moving into painting, dress design, and visual arts. He moved into music in the late 1980s, and performed in a band called "Boo-Dee and the Woo-Zees" (1986–1992) as the lead singer.
Somaratne Dissanayake is a Sri Lankan film director, screenwriter and producer. He was the Chairman of Sri Lanka Rupavahini Corporation and the president of the Film Makers Guild of Sri Lanka (FMG). He is the winner of the most number of international awards for cinema in Sri Lanka. In 2007, he received Presidential award for directing Samanala Thatu (2006).
Jagath Chamila Fernando is an actor in Sri Lankan cinema, theatre and television. He made his film debut in 1992 in the Sinhalese film Guru Gedara, portraying a child. In 2013, he won the award for the Best Actor at New York International Film festival for his portrayal of Sami in Samige Kathava, a film based on Elmo Jayawardena's novel Sam's Story (2001). He is considered one of five actors who have dominated the Sri Lankan stage by critics.
Priyantha Colombage is a Sri Lankan film director and screenwriter who works primarily in Sinhala cinema. He is best known for his directorial debut “Dehena”(Trance) in 1998 & Dehena won the highest number of awards for Sri Lanka and represented the country at the Tokyo International Film Festival. His second film “Vimukthi”(Salvation) was the unanimous choice of local film critics to represent Sri Lanka at the Kerala, Milwelly and Cairo International Film Festivals.
Niranjani Shanmugaraja also known as Niranjani Shanmugarajah is a Sri Lankan award-winning actress in Sri Lankan Sinhalese and Tamil Cinema. She also works as a television host in Sri Lanka Rupavahini Corporation.
Arjuna Kamalanath Karunaratne [Sinhala]) is an actor in Sri Lankan cinema. Though he became popular as an actor in cinema, Kamalanath also performed as a director, producer and screenplay writer.