User:Dinithisj99/The Sri Lankan Cinema

Introduction
Many old Sinhala films produced during the first nine years of the Sri Lankan film industry have a heavy South Indian influence since they were filmed in South India. In 1956, the pioneering film producer, Sir Lester James Peries, produced a film with an authentic Sinhalese plot called "Rekhawa". This film was shot on location without any in-studio shots. "Rekhawa" was appreciated both locally and internationally. However, the film was rather unsuccessful in generating revenue since an adequate audience was not available in the country at the time. Until the mid sixties, films with storylines influenced by the Indian cinema were produced despite the attempts made through films like "Sandeshaya" and "Kurulu Bedda".Once again, in 1964, Sir Lester James Peries ventured to uplift the Sri Lankan film industry by producing "Gamperaliya", the first Sinhala film in the industry which did not promote songs. Similar to "Rekhawa", this film was also shot on location rather than in studios. "Gamperaliya" received a great response from its audience and critics since the film uplifted and promoted the culture of the Sinhala community remarkably well. This progressive development in the film industry led to the production of more artistic films in the late sixties such as Professor Siri Gunasinghe's "Sath Samudura".

Despite commercial films continuing to borrow plotlines from the Indian film industry, there was a huge growth of talent among artists in the seventies. Many films such as Vasantha Obesekara's debut film produced in 1979, "Ves Gaththo", followed by "Palangatiyo", were well-received by audiences. Another director who came into the spotlight during this time period was Dharmasena Pathiraja. His films like "Bambaru Awith" and "Ahas Gauwwa" vividly explored stressful conditions faced by youth living in cities. The great poet and artist, Mahagama Sekara marked an important milestone in the Sri Lankan film industry in 1970 with his debut film, "Thunmanhandiya", which also happens to be his one and only film production. During the seventies, Mrs. Sumithra Peries, wife of Sir Lester James Peries, produced films which largely focused on problems faced by women. Some examples include "Gahanu Lamai" and "Ganga Addara".

During the next few decades, producers like Thissa Abesekara, Prasanna Vithanage and Vimukthi Jayasundara made an effort to revive the Sri Lankan film industry. Vithanage's "Purahanda Kaluwara" and Vimukthi Jayasundara's "Sulanga Enu Pinisa" are some of the greatest films produced in the history of Sri Lanka cinema. The film, "Sulanga Enu Pinisa", was even awarded the Camera d'Or award.

In the recent past, Sri Lankan films have attempted to address issues such as family relationships, abortion, and the results of the conflict between the military and Tamil terrorists in the North. Asoka Handagama has been particularly criticized for producing films with these themes.

The History of the Cinema
In 1997, the ten films named below were recognized by the State Committee as the best films produced in the last fifty years.

Development during the Early Period (1901-1947)
In 1901, for the first time in Sri Lankan history, Governor West Ridgeway and Bover II held a private film screening for prisoners. This incident has been recorded as the first time that a film was shown in Sri Lanka (then called Ceylon). It was a short film which showcased incidents like the victory of the British in the Boer War, the funeral of Queen Elizabeth and the coronation of Edward VII. Later on, more films were screened and they became popular among British settlers and the Anglicized Sinhalese.

The cinema gained popularity in Sri Lanka when an Englishman, Weswick Major, introduced bioscope shows. These films were screened in open spaces in temporary tents. In 1903, the Madan theatre built permanent movie theatres. Since this company became very successful after screening Indian films, its rival, Olympia company, built more movie theatres in the country.

In 1925, the film named, "Rajakeeya Wickramaya", was produced in Sri Lanka for the first time. Dr. N.M. Perera played the lead role in it and the film was screened in India and Singapore. However, the film mysteriously disappeared during its screening in Singapore. On a different note, a film titled, "Paliganeema", was screened in Colombo in 1933.

During the 1920s and 1930s, the American stars Charlie Chaplin, Greta Garbo, Douglas Fairbanks Jr., John Barrymore and Rudolph Valentino became popular in Sri Lanka. Their films such as "The Shiek" and "The Thief of Bagdad" were strikingly well-received. By 1930, Indian films surpassed English films in terms of popularity. The movie "Bilwa Mangal" set a record with the revenue it generated.