Germany and amid much opposition of photographers, he managed to win them over and thereby establish 35 mm still film as the staple of Sri Lankan still photography until that was overtaken by digital photography. Nihalsingha's skill as film administrator was best seen in the work he did as founding CEO and general manager of the State Film Corporation from 1972 to 1978. To offset foreign domination of Sri Lankan theatres (80 percent), Nihalsingha launched a series of initiatives which unleashed the suppressed demand for domestically produced films. The initiatives resulted in audience surging from 30 million a year in annual attendances in 1971 to an unprecedented 74.4 million by 1979. The domestic film share of screen time went up from 20% in 1971 to 58% in 1979.( Committee of Inquiry Report, 1985; Committee Report 1997)' Awards Nihalsingha was awarded the Sri Lankan national honour of KalaKeerthi for his lifetime contribution to Sri Lankan film and television while the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers of America (SMPTE) made him a Fellow and later, Life Fellow in 2004 for "achieving outstanding rank among engineers and administrators in motion pictures and television by proficiency and contributions." He was the only Fellow of the SMPTE in Sri Lanka and South Asia. SMPTE is the oldest film and television body in the world, formed in 1915 in New York. It determines motion picture and television standards. British Kinematograph, Sound and Television Society also made him a Fellow of the society in recognition of lifetime services to film and television in Sri Lanka and South Asia for "the development of film and television production techniques" which included pioneering professional color television production in South Asia in 1979. In 1979, Nihalsingha left the State Film Corporation and formed the Tele-Cine Limited with the help of Hemasiri Premawarne and Chandra Seneviratne. Tele-Cine Ltd was South Asia's and Sri Lanka's pioneer in professional color television production of television drama, commercials, musicals and documentary. As CEO of Tele-Cine for 16 years, Nihalsingha directed and pioneered the first television drama series in South Asia, Dimuthu Muthu'', starring Devika Mihirani and Amarasiri Kanlansooriya. He later went on to direct several pioneering tele-drama series, creating the template for tele-drama production and training and introducing technical personnel in a context where there were none. This is a legacy which lasts to this day in Sri Lanka. In 1995, Nihalsingha resigned from