Lama Hewage Don Martin Wickramasinghe, was a Sri Lankan journalist and author. His books have been translated into several languages. Wickramasinghe is often acclaimed as the father of modern Sinhala literature.
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 languages, the dominant languages of the country. Cinema of Sri Lanka is also referred to as Follywood as many famous Sri Lankan actors had surnames starting with an "F."
Sarasaviya Awards is an award bestowed to distinguished individuals involved with the Sinhala cinema, each year by the Sarasaviya weekly newspaper in collaboration with the Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Limited, Sri Lanka in recognition of the contributions made by them to the Sri Lankan film industry. The Sarasaviya ceremony is one of the oldest film events in Sri Lanka. The awards were first introduced in 1964. The Sarasaviya Awards have been often referred to as the Sinhala Cinema industry's equivalent to The Oscars.
Sri Lankabhimanya Lester James Peries was a Sri Lankan film director, screenwriter, and film producer. Considered as the father of Sri Lankan cinema, Lester worked as a filmmaker from 1949 to 2006, and was involved in over 28 films, including shorts and documentaries.
Gamperaliya is a novel written by Sri Lankan writer Martin Wickremasinghe and first published in 1944. Wickremasinghe subsequently wrote Kaliyugaya and Yuganthaya, as a trilogy encompassing three generation of the same family and the changing society, culture and economic environment of Sri Lanka between the early and mid 20th century.
Gamperaliya is a 1963 Sri Lankan drama film directed by Dr. Lester James Peries screenplay, dialogue and the script by Reggie Siriwardena and Tissa Abeysekara; it was adapted from the novel Gamperaliya by Martin Wickramasinghe. The film starts ensemble cast of several eras together including, Henry Jayasena, Punya Heendeniya, Wickrama Bogoda, Trilicia Gunawardena and Gamini Fonseka.
Yuganthaya is a novel written by Sri Lankan writer Martin Wickremasinghe and first published in 1949. It is the third and last part of Wickramasinghe's trilogy that began with Gamperaliya and followed by Kaliyugaya.
Yuganthaya is a 1983 Sri Lankan drama film directed by Lester James Peries; it was adapted from the novel Yuganthaya by Martin Wickramasinghe, and deals with the beginning of labor unions in Sri Lanka.
Ganga Addara was a 1980 Sinhalese language film directed by Sumitra Peiris and produced by Sumathi Films. The film stars Vasanthi Chathurani and late Vijaya Kumaratunga in the lead roles. Adapted from a novel by Letitia Botejue, its script was written by veteran director Tissa Abeysekara. The music and English lyrics were composed by Nimal Mendis. It was translated into Sinhala by Augustus Vinayagaratnam and was sung by Vijaya Kumaratunga, who also made his mark as a playback singer. Ganga Addara, which was the second production of Sumathi Films was set in Kandy, colonial Sri Lanka. Its plot is about a tragic love story between a boy and his uncle's daughter, where all the incidents take place around river Kalani, a famous river in Sri Lanka.
Wekande Walauwa is a 2002 award-winning Sinhalese language drama film directed by Lester James Peries and co-produced by Asoka Perera and Chandran Rutnam. It stars Malini Fonseka, Vasanthi Chathurani and Sanath Gunathilake in lead roles along with Paboda Sandeepani and Ravindra Randeniya. Music composed by Pradeep Ratnayake. It is the 1020th Sri Lankan film in the Sinhala cinema.
Presidential Film Awards is a film award ceremony held in Sri Lanka. It is organized by the National Film Corporation along with the Presidential Secretariat and the Ministry of Cultural Affairs. It was 1st awards in 1979 by President J. R. Jayewardene, and continue till 2004. The awards were not held from 2005 to 2014 when Mahinda Rajapakse was president. The award started to be presented again in 2015 by President Maithripala Sirisena.
Delovak Athara is a 1966 Sri Lankan drama film directed by Dr. Lester James Peries, the screen play dialog and script by Dr. Tissa Abeysekara. The film stars Tony Ranasinghe and Suvineetha Weerasinghe in lead roles along with Jeevarani Kurukulasuriya and Wijeratne Warakagoda.
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.
Kala Keerthi Dr Bastian Koralage Henry Rudrigo Jayasena, popularly known as Henry Jayasena, was an actor in Sri Lankan cinema, theater and television. With a career spanning more than four decades, Jayasena is considered one of the best dramatists in Sri Lankan drama.
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.
Heendeniya Vidanaralalage Punya Heendeniya, popularly as Punya Heendeniya, is a former Sri Lankan cinema actress who currently resides in England.
Vijaya Ramanayake is a Sri Lankan film and music producer, songwriter, journalist and author. He was the founder and producer of Tharanga Music and Film. Ramanayake was the first to introduce compact cassette tapes to Sri Lanka.
Viragaya is a 1956 novel written by Martin Wickremasinghe. The novel is considered an outstanding work in modern Sinhalese fiction due to the significance of its theme and the sophistication of its technique. The story is based on a virtuous character called Aravinda, a Sinhalese youth raised in a traditional Buddhist family in the South.
Anula Karunathilaka is a Sri Lankan film actress and theatrical performer. Her work is noted during the 70s film and cinema history in Sri Lanka. One of the most popular actresses in Sinhala cinema in 1960s, she is best known for the popular role 'Dammi' in the blockbuster film Golu Hadawatha.
Trelicia Abeykoon ), popularly as Trelicia or Trilicia Gunawardena, was an actress in Sri Lankan cinema, theater and television as well as a singer. She is best known for the critically acclaimed roles in films Gamperaliya, Nidhanaya, Kaliyagaya and Beddegama.
