Sumitra Peries

Sumitra Gunawardena (birth name) was born on 24 March 1934 to a Marxist family known as the Boralugoda Gunewardene's in Avissawella. Her father, Henry (better known as Harry) Gunawardena was a proctor in Avissawella, and brother of the famous politicians Philip Gunawardena and Robert Gunawardena and her mother, Harriette Wickramasinghe was from a middle-class family. Three of Sumitra's relatives, Dinesh Gunawardena, Geethanjana Gunawardena and Prasanna Gunawardena, are still in Sri Lankan politics today.

When Sumitra was just 14 years of age, her mother died. At that time her brother Gamini was five years older and her sister Chandralatha, three years older. She also has a younger brother Ranjith. After the tragedy of their mother's death, Gamini went to the south of France and lived in a yacht with a French painter.

Sumitra began her education in Avissawella, then later enrolled to Visakha Vidyalaya in Colombo and finally joined the Aquinas College Colombo to do the London Advanced Level.

At the age of 20 Sumitra managed to find some money and travelled to Europe by ship to meet her elder brother Gamini. She was to build her own career there, although she didn't know it at the time.[4]

She studied film making at the London School of Film Technique and was awarded a Diploma in Film Direction and Production (1957–1959). She was the only woman studying this subject there at that time. After passing out, she began working at Mai Harris, a subtitling firm for a short period and later returned home to Sri Lanka. It was briefly before she left that she happened to meet her to-be-husband at the residence of Mr. Vernon Mendis, who was a mutual friend of Lester and Sumitra.

Later on her arrival in Sri Lanka, Sumitra's brother Gamini contacted Lester and checked the possibility of her sister working with him on shoot. Lester agreed and Sumitra started work as assistant director in his second film Sandesaya. A filmmaking company called Cinelanka was established later in 1963 with Anton Wickramasinghe, Lester and Sumitra as major shareholders.

Sumitra married Lester James Peries (1919-2018) on 19 June 1964 at All Saints Church, Borella and a reception was held at the residence of Anton Wickremasinghe afterwards.

Sumitra started off her own cinema director debut with her first film Gehenu Lamai featuring newly discovered talent in the young Vasanthi Chathurani. The film was a box office hit and managed to bag many awards at the film festivals of the time. Her next film Ganga addara also featuring Vasanthi Chathurani, Vijaya Kumaratunge and Sanath Gunathileke was another box office hit. She has subsequently directed many more feature films which have all been subjected to international acclaim.

In the 1980s, Sumitra was a member of the presidential commission for two years to conduct an inquiry into Sri Lanka's film sector regarding all aspects of the industry such as its troubles, statistics, public opinions and recommendations.

She was in charge of production for Worldview International in Sri Lanka in 1988–1990. Also during the late 1980s and early 1990s, she was a member of the Board of Management of the Institute of Aesthetique Studies, Kelaniya University, Sri Lanka during which Prof A. J. Gunewardena was the director general of the institute.

Sumitra later served as Sri Lanka's ambassador to France and Spain in 1996–1999 and was also appointed as the ambassador of Sri Lanka to the United Nations by President Chandrika Bandaranayake Kumaratunge. She served at her post during the bicentennial of "FILM" in its birthplace - France – and was conveniently able to take part in all celebrations along with her spouse Lester James Peries.

She won the award for the best film director in fifty years of Sri Lankan cinema.[5]

• Carthage International Film Festival – Gehenu Lamai – Diploma of Merit (1978), shared the jury award with Mirinal Sen of India.[6]
• London Film Festival – Gehenu Lamai – Outstanding Film of the Year (1978)
• South Asian Film Festival in Tokyo, Japan – Ganga Addara – Diploma
• Moscow International Film Festival – Yahalu Yeheli – Diploma (1984), purchased by a German television channel in 1986
• Filmex International Film Festival, Los Angeles – Yahalu Yeheli – Diploma (1985)
• International Film Festival, Tokyo – Sagara Jalaya – One of the Ten Best Films, purchased by a Japanese television station
• Nantes International Film Festival – Loku Duwa – Diploma (1993)
• Fukuoka International Film Festival – Loku Duwa (1994)
• London Film Festival – Duwata Mawaka Misa – Diploma (1998)
• International Film Festival, India – Duwata Mawaka Misa (1998)
• Fukuoka International Film Festival – Duwata Mawaka Misa (1998)
• Golden Lotus – Deauville Award for "Contribution to Asian Cinema" (2001)

Best Editor:

• Gamperaliya – Sarasaviya Film Awards (1964)
• Delovak Athara – Sarasaviya Film Awards (1967)
• Ahasin Polawata – Presidential Awards (1979) & OCIC Awards (1979)
• Bakmaha Deege – Critics Awards (1971)

Best Director:

• Ganga Addara – Sarasaviya Film Awards (1981) & Presidential Awards (1981)
• Yahalu Yeheli – Presidential Awards (1983) & OCIC Awards (1983)
• Maya – Sarasaviya Film Awards (1984) & National Award for Best Film and Best Director in 1986.
• Sagara Jalaya – OCIC Awards (1989) & Swarna Sanka Awards (1988)
• Loku Duwa – Presidential Awards (1989) & Sarasaviya Silver Jubilee Awards (1988)
• Duwata Mawaka Misa Presidential Awards (1996)
• Zonta Arthur C Clark Award for Communication (1988)
• Rana Thisara Lifetime Achievement Award (1993)[7]