Tribute to Dr. Lester James Peris

The greatness of Lester James Peries however cannot be measured by the quantity of his output. It is the qualitative nature of his films that elevated him to commendable heights. Lester James Peries is acknowledged as the pioneer of authentic Sinhala cinema. It was he who created in every sense of the term an indigenous cinema in both substance and style. It was also Lester who first gained worldwide recognition for Sinhala cinema. Lester James Peries became a national icon identified with the sphere of Sri Lankan cinema over the years.‘Rekava’ (Line of Destiny), ‘Gamperaliya’ (Changes in the Village) and ‘Nidhanaya’ (Treasure) are widely accepted as the three finest films made by Lester James Peries. In 1997 the golden jubilee year of Sinhala cinema the Sri Lankan Govt identified ten films as among the best films made in the 50 year history of Sinhala cinema. Lester’s rekava,Gamperaliya and Nidhanaya were included in that list.

Above article extracted from DBS Jeyaraj

It's with a great sadness we at Sri lankan records giving farewell to the legendary film director.