Dr. Lester James Peries Conferred Sri Lankabhimanya at Presidential Secretariat Ceremony in 2007

On 24/02/2007, Dr. Lester James Peries was formally conferred the Sri Lankabhimanya at a ceremony held at the Presidential Secretariat in Colombo, marking official national recognition of his decades of contribution to Sri Lankan cinema. The award was presented by then President Mahinda Rajapaksa, following Gazette proclamation No. 1485/25 dated 02/02/2007, which authorized the conferment of the country’s highest national honour. The ceremony took place in Colombo and was described as a simple official event attended by government ministers, Members of Parliament, and leading figures from the arts community. The Sri Lankabhimanya is awarded for exceptionally outstanding and most distinguished service to the nation, and Dr. Peries received the honour in recognition of more than 50 years of work in the film industry. In 2007, the honour was also conferred upon A. T. Ariyaratne and Christopher Weeramantry in their respective fields. Born on 05/04/1919, Dr. Peries directed over 20 feature films during his career. His first feature film, Rekava released in 1956, is credited with introducing a realist style to Sinhala cinema and reducing reliance on Indian cinematic influence. His 1963 film Gamperaliya won the Golden Peacock at the International Film Festival of India in 1965. Other notable works include Nidhanaya released in 1970 and Wekande Walauwa released in 2002, which became Sri Lanka’s first official submission to the Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film. In 2003, he received the Fellini Gold Medal from UNESCO in recognition of his contribution to global cinema. The conferment ceremony on 24/02/2007 at the Presidential Secretariat in Colombo formally acknowledged his sustained contribution to Sri Lanka’s cultural landscape and his role in shaping a distinct national identity in film.