|
|
 |
 |
| Sunday, 27 June 2004 |
 |
|
 |
Features |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
|
The website encompasses the events in Dr. Lester and Sumitra's lives since their birth in 1919 and 1935 respectively, until the present day. It offers little-known personal details about the couple, particularly their younger days, wedding in 1964, their home and a lighter side, which reveals their fun-loving personalities. Dr. Lester has directed over 20 award-winning movies including the ground-breaking 'Rekava' (Line of Destiny) in 1956, 'Sandesaya' (The Message) in 1960, 'Gamperaliya' (The Changing Village Part 1) in 1964, 'Nidhanaya' (The Treasure in 1970, the English film 'The God King' in 1975, and 'Wekande Walauwa' (Mansion by the Lake) in 2002. Sumitra's admired work includes 'Gahanu Lamai' (The Girls) in 1978, 'Ganga Addara' (River's Edge) in 1980, 'Sagara Jalaya' (A Letter Written on the Sand) in 1988, 'Loku Duwa' (The Elder Daughter) in 1993, and 'Sakman Maluwa' (The Garden) in 2003. Dr. Lester and Sumitra's role in the film industry is enriching and inimitable. Dr. Lester has almost single-handedly pioneered the establishment and development of a truly national Sri Lankan cinema while Sumitra boldly entered a male-dominated sector to become the first professionally qualified female film-maker in Sri Lanka. Amongst other responsibilities, Sumitra was appointed the Sri Lankan Ambassador for France and Spain, and the permanent delegate to UNESCO by the President of Sri Lanka. They lived in Paris between 1995 and 1999. The gifted couple has received numerous local and international accolades. The most notable are the 'Kala Keerthi' award, the highest national honour bestowed on someone for "enriching the artistic life of the country", for Dr. Lester from the Government of Sri Lanka, in 1977; the 'Legion D'Honneur' (Commandeur dans l'ordre des arts et des letters), the highest honour given by the Government of France to an artiste, to Dr. Lester in 1997; the Golden Lotus Deauville in 2001 conferred to both for their lifelong contribution to the Asian cinema; and the Fellini Gold Medal for Dr. Lester from UNESCO for an outstanding film career at the Cannes International Film Festival in 2003. Their much-loved movies have been aired in countless international film festivals where the distinguished duo has also served on several film juries, their works have been purchased for the permanent collection of international archives and for foreign television channels, and a number of retrospectives have been held in their honour. |
|
News | Business | Features
| Editorial | Security Produced by Lake House |
Sri Lanka's celebrities Dr. Lester James and Sumithra Peries launched
their website - 
