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Lester James Peries

Lester James Peries

Directing

Biography

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.

Known For

Baddegama
6.0

Baddegama or, more correctly, Beddegama is a 1980 award winning Sinhalese language film directed by Lester James Peries that follows the lives of village people in British Colonial Sri Lanka. The film is based on the 1913 book titled as "The Village in the Jungle" by Leonard Woolf. Silindu is a hunter in a small village where he and his family endure a life of hardships. After facing disease and poverty under colonial rule, the final blow comes when Silindu is tried for murder.

Baddegama

1980
The Line of Destiny
7.2

A sprawling portrait of rural life in Sri Lanka; the story revolves around a boy and his friend--a blind girl who he accidentally 'heals' by giving her sight. Though the girl believes the boy healed her, in reality the boy has no such powers. The father of the boy fools the village folk into believing he's a healer, but ultimately the sham is exposed, causing the village to revolt against the boy and his family.

The Line of Destiny

1956
Celluloid Man
7.0

Indian documentary about Indian film history and P. K. Nair, the founder of the National Film Archive of India and guardian of Indian cinema. He built the archive can by can in a country where the archiving of cinema was considered unimportant.

Celluloid Man

2012
The Tree Goddess
N/A

Vaishnavee (The Goddess), (Sinhalese: වෛෂ්ණාවී) is a 2018 Sri Lankan Sinhala drama thriller film directed by veteran director Sumitra Peries and produced by Mano Nanayakkara. 1930’s, Sri Lanka. Partly a compelling domestic drama, and a demonic love story, the narrative follows a puppet-maker who’s set to be married to a young girl. Unfortunately, the girl elopes with her secret lover. Devastated, the grieving puppet-maker ends up carving a puppet in her likeness, which eventually comes to life, setting in motion a fantastical chain of events.

The Tree Goddess

2018
Sandesaya
9.0

Sandesaya (Sinhalese language word meaning The Message) is a 1960 film. The film based on the war between the Sinhalese people and the Portuguese invaders in Sri Lanka. It was directed by Sri Lankan film director Lester James Peries. It was produced by K. Gunaratnam on behalf of the Cinemas Company on the request of Raj Kapoor.

Sandesaya

1960
Gahanu Lamai
6.8

The Girls is about the growing up of two schoolgirl sisters and the disappointments to which they are condemned by their impoverished backgrounds.

Gahanu Lamai

1978
The God King
7.0

Epic tale set in 5th century Sri Lanka, following the battle for the throne between Kassapa and his father King Dhatusena

The God King

1974
Awaragira
8.0

Awaragira is a 1990 Sri Lankan film directed by Lester James Peries and produced by Dilman Jayaratne for Dil Films. It stars Joe Abeywickrama, Iranganie Serasinghe and Tony Ranasinghe in lead roles along with Lucky Dias and Vasanthi Chathurani. Music composed by Premasiri Khemadasa.

Awaragira

1990
Silence of the Heart
9.0

Dhammi is a mischievous schoolgirl, Sugath a shy and introverted boy new in school. Dhammi is immediately attracted to him and they become friends. The friendship eventually develops in to a special relationship, but when Sugath reveals his love for her she shuns him.

Silence of the Heart

1969
Mansion by the Lake
6.5

Very loosely based on Anton Chekhov's The Cherry Orchard, Lester James Peries's MANSION BY THE LAKE follows a family of formerly wealthy, expatriate Sri Lankan landowners, now impoverished, as they return from England to the magnificent country estate they left behind.

Mansion by the Lake

2002
Elegy For A Mother
N/A

Sumanawathie's elder son is a Buddhist monk. Her daughter has run from home and married a man who ignores and quarrels with the daughter. Sumanawathie's younger son Saliya gets a job as a soldier. Sumanawathi gets upset as she is left alone in her house. As the film progresses she gets to know that her son has disappeared during a war operation. Her health declines rapidly. After a long time, Saliya comes again to her home alive. Meanwhile her elder son is killed by terrorists when he travels with a team to distribute goods to the poor people.

Elegy For A Mother

2006
The Garden
N/A

The calm, dull marriage of a young woman and her much older husband is disturbed when the man's younger brother arrives at their home.

The Garden

2003
No image
N/A

Documentary about Sri Lankan filmmaker Lester James Peries

Cineaste From Another Time

2003
Between Two Worlds
6.6

The son of a newly rich industrialist becomes embroiled in a murder cover-up.

Between Two Worlds

1966
Sagara Jalaya Madi Handuwa Oba Handa
N/A

A village woman and her young son face various hardships because of the untimely death of her husband.

Sagara Jalaya Madi Handuwa Oba Handa

1988
The Treasure
7.0

Based on a short story written by G.B. Senanayake in one of his short story collection known as "The Revenge," the film revolves around a murder committed for the purpose of gaining access to a hidden treasure.

The Treasure

1972
Mangrove Island
9.0

Madol Duwa (Mangrove Island) is a 1976 Sri Lankan drama film directed by Lester James Peries and produced by Upasena Marasinghe. The film stars Ajith Jinadasa as Upali, a young rebellious youth who travels to a small island to get away from the restrictive society around him. The film is based on Martin Wickremasinghe's 1947 novel Madol Doova. It was a commercial success

Mangrove Island

1976
Maya
N/A

The story follows a seven-year-old girl from an aristocratic family who is brutally murdered and subsequently reborn in a rural village.

Maya

1984
Changes in the Village
5.8

Piyal is a handsome young teacher who is hired to teach English to Nanda, a member of a high class family. They fall in love, but can't elope because Piyal is of a lower class. Nanda's parents instead push her into a marriage with Jinadasa, who is of the same class as them. With economic downturn in Sri Lanka, both families lose their status and Jinadasa leaves to try to make a better life for himself; he never achieves his goal and dies penniless. Piyal and Nanda can now finally come together. They have changed however, and the earlier idylic nature of their relationship is not recaptured.

Changes in the Village

1963
White Flowers for the Dead
10.0

Dr. Sarath (Tony Ranasinghe) domineers over his timid wife Vineetha (Sriyani Amarasena). When she is to have a Caesarean delivery of their baby, Sarath refuses to be present even though he himself is a doctor. She dies during surgery and Sarath is forced to live with the spectre of his wife hanging over him.

White Flowers for the Dead

1978