Contents
Films produced in Sri Lanka in the 1940s.
Films produced in Sri Lanka in the 1940s.
| Title | Director | Cast | Genre | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1947 | ||||||
| Kadawunu Poronduwa | Jyotish Sinha | Rukmani Devi, B. A. W. Jayamanne, Peter Peiris, Miriam Jayamanne, Hugo Fernando, Stanley Mallawarachchi, Eddie Jayamanne, Jemini Kantha | Drama | Screened on 21 January. First Sri Lankan Movie to be made in Sinhala language. | ||
| Asokamala | T. R. Gopu Shanthi Kumar | Shanthi Kumar, Emalin Dibulana, Michael Sannasliyanage, Herbie Seneviratne, Don Edward, Austin Abeysekera, Michael Rodrigo | Drama | Released on 10 April. | ||
| Title | Director | Cast | Genre | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1948 | ||||||
| Kapati Arakshakaya | Jyotish Sinha K. Subramaniam | Christy De Mel, Rukmani Devi, Eddie Jayamanne, Bertram Fernando, Herbie Seneviratne, B. A. W. Jayamanne, Jemini Kantha | Thriller | Released on 23 February. | ||
| Divya Premaya | N. P. Javeri | Luman Rajapaksha, Srimathi Karunadevi, Robert Perera, Simon Silva, Peter Siriwardene | Romance | Released on 22 May. | ||
| Veradunu Kurumanama | Jyotish Sinha | B. A. W. Jayamanne, Rukmani Devi, Lalitha Kumari, Jemini Kantha, Herbie Seneviratne, Eddie Jayamanne, Bertram Fernando, B. S. Perera | Thriller | Released on 3 December. | ||
| Title | Director | Cast | Genre | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1949 | ||||||
| Amma | Sirisena Wimalaweera | D.R. Nanayakkara, Pearl Vasudevi, Eddie Junior, N. R. Dias, S. H. Jothipala | Drama | Released on 19 August. | ||
| Peralena Iranama | Jyotish Sinha | Eddie Jayamanne, Rukmani Devi, Aruna Shanthi, Mark Samaranayake, Mabel Blythe | Drama | Released on 20 October. | ||
Sri Lanka, formerly 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, and southeast of the Arabian Sea; it is separated from the Indian subcontinent by the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait. Sri Lanka shares a maritime border with India and the Maldives. Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte is its legislative capital, and Colombo is its largest city and financial centre.
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 o f Chitra Kala Movietone. Sri Lankan films are usually made in Sinhala and Tamil languages, the dominant languages of the country. Cinema of Sri Lanka is also referred to as Follywood.
Udaya Prasanna Vithanage is a Sri Lankan filmmaker. He is considered one of the pioneers of the third generation of the Sri Lankan cinema. He has directed eight feature films including Death on a Full Moon Day (1997), August Sun (2003), Flowers of the Sky (2008) & With You, Without You (2012) and won many prestigious national and international awards and have also been commercially successful in Sri Lanka. In his early theatre work, he translated and produced plays by international writers, adapted works of world literature to film. He has battled against the censorship in Sri Lanka and worked as an educator of cinema who has conducted many Master classes in the subcontinent for young filmmakers and enthusiasts.
Swarna Mallawarachchi, is an actress in Sri Lankan cinema. Often known as the "Golden star of Sinhalese cinema", Swarna began her acting career whilst still a schoolgirl, starring in the 1966 blockbuster film Sath Samudura directed by Siri Gunasinghe. During a career that spanning over 40 years, Swarna has won the 'Best Actress Award' 26 times, most by a Sri Lankan actress.
Films produced in Sri Lanka ordered by the date 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.
Kala Keerthi Sumitra Peries is the first Sri Lankan female filmmaker and is known by all 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.
Deshanabu 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, the Tamil language film industry in Sri Lanka, has remained relatively small with fewer than 100 films produced. The Tamil film industry in Sri Lanka is not as developed as Sinhala cinema or its Indian counterpart, the Tamil cinema of Kodambakkam, Chennai, Tamil Nadu. There is much competition from Tamil films from Tamil Nadu, India as well as obstacles from the long running ethnic civil war in Sri Lanka.
Sachini Ayendra Stanley, is a Sri Lankan film actress currently working in the Sinhala film industry. She won Miss Sri Lanka in 2003 and represented Sri Lanka at the 53rd Miss World Pageant in Sanya, China. After being crowned as Miss Sri Lanka, her first film, Aadaraneeya Wassaanaya, directed by Senesh Dissanaike Bandara, was released in 2004. She won the award for best supporting actress at Signis Sri Lanka Film Awards for her performance.
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 is the Chairman of ITN Sri Lanka and the president of the Film Makers Guild of Sri Lanka (FMG). He won the Peace prize of Chicago International Children's Film Festival and bronze award for Independent Theatrical Feature Films at Worldfest Houston for his debut film, Saroja (2000). 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.
Darshan Dharmaraj is an actor in Sri Lankan cinema. He made his first television appearance through the Sidney Chandrasekara's teledrama A9. He was awarded Best Actor Awards at several Film festivals in Sri Lanka for his portrayal as ex-LTTE cadre in Asoka Handagama's movie Ini Avan (2012).
Niranjani Shanmugaraja also known as Niranjani Shanmugarajah is a Sri Lankan award-winning Lankanss in Sri Lankan Sinhalese cinema. She also works as a television host in Sri Lanka Rupavahini Corporation.
Wilson Karunaratne, popularly as Wilson Karu is a Sri Lankan film actor, and stunt director. Considered one of the best villains in Sinhala cinema, Karunaratne has acted in more than 240 films across many genre primarily as main antagonist.