It was the first feature-length film by Sri Lankan director Lester James Peries . The film was well received internationally . It was shown at the 1957 Cannes Film Festival and was included in the main competition . It is still the only Sri Lankan film to be nominated for the Palme d'Or . The cinematography was by Wiliam Blake . Despite much acclaim , the film was not a commercial success in Sri Lanka due to its defiance of the mainstream concept of what a film is ( i.e. one of a romance between a girl and a boy , fights , comedy , songs with Hindi tunes ) . Since that time it has become one of the best known Sinhala movies and is considered as marking the birth of a uniquely Sri Lankan cinema
1957 Cannes Film Festival
1957 Cannes Film Festival
Rekava