6 April 2019 12:54 am Views - 846
Yesterday was the 100th birth anniversary of Sri Lanka’s legendary filmmaker Lester James Peries and to mark the event the government conferred on him a rare honour by declaring April 5 as the National Cinema Day. To mark the historic occasion, Cultural Affairs Minister Sajith Premadasa presided at an event held at the National Film Corporation head office and announced that Rs. 15 million had been allocated to build a Lester James Peries archives and library. Minister Premadasa called on Lester’s wife and filmmaker Sumitra to formally proclaim the National Cinema Day. A large number of film personalities joined the other family members and friends at this occasion to honour Dr. Peries who changed the history of cinema industry in Sri Lanka with his masterpieces such as ‘Nidhanaya’ and ‘Gamperaliya’. For Dr. Peries filmmaking for more than half a century was a magnificent obsession as portrayed in Lloyd C. Douglas’ famous book about a selfless physician. Dr. Peries was to Sri Lanka what a famous artist like Michelangelo was to the world. We hope the Sri Lankan people will be inspired by his creativity, his passion for good and hard work, the virtues and values that he promoted through his award winning films.
Though he reached the highest positions, Dr. Peries was more widely admired for his meekness and humility. He was also a symbol of Longfellow’s inspiring or important words, “The heights reached by great personalities, reached and kept, were not attained by sudden flight; but they, while their compatriots slept, were toiling upwards in the night”. Whatever Dr. Peries did, he did well and he also did unto others what he wished they would do unto him. According to the Daily Mirror’s Ramesh Uvais, Lester James Peries was encouraged by his parents to prepare himself for priesthood but Lester, who studied at St. Peter’s College, by his own choice preferred to pursue his interest in theatre and films.
During his six year stint as a journalist in London from 1946 to 1952, Lester cultivated his interest in films with great sincerity and commitment. Having joined the Government Film Unit (GFU) as an assistant director on his return to Sri Lanka, Lester worked under prestigious personalities such as Ralph Keene and learned a great deal about the art of film making. He made a number of documentaries at the GFU, but all the while he had been nursing the plot of a story that became a reality when he made his debut film ‘Rekhawa’ in 1955.
From then on he began to understand the pulse of the people and made films that were embraced by the country’s filmgoers who were till then largely used to films made with some Indian influence.
Among the memorable works of the undisputed biggest brand name in the local film industry were Rekhawa, Sandeshaya, Gamperaliya, Delowak Athara, Ran Salu, Golu Hadawatha, Akkara Paha, Nidhanaya, God King, Desa Nisa, Madol Duwa, Weera Puran Appu, Kali Yugaya, Pin Hami, Baddegama, Yuganthaya, Awaragira, Wekande Walawwa and Ammawaruni.
According to the Daily Mirror article, the important virtues in Lester’s work philosophy were loyalty and commitment. And these vitues are seen even among team members who worked in his films.
Dr. Peries was one of the world’s oldest filmmakers, having made his last film, “Ammawaruni” at the age of 87. In an interview with Daily Mirror, Dr. Peries said he preferred to call our cinema ‘the Sri Lankan cinema industry’ rather than the ‘Sinhala cinema industry’ because our cinema comprises movie creations in Sinhala, Tamil and English. In 2011 he said he was sorry that he had not made a Tamil movie, but added that despite the physical strain involved in filmmaking he might consider an offer to make one. Unfortunately that dream did not come true but it showed his commitment to inter-racial and inter-religious unity in diversity—a principle portrayed in his films.
Dr. Peries’ inner spirituality was portrayed in his meekness and simplicity, his sincere, selfless and sacrificial service to the country, cinema and the people. Not only has Dickmans Road been named after him, Dr. Peries took the moral high road and when he died in April last year, he would have heard the Father say “Knock and the door will be opened, seek and you will find, ask and you will be given, the Kingdom.”