In 1956 , Peries made his entry into national cinema with the globally acclaimed '' Rekava '' , which was a story based on village life . It was nominated for the Palme d'Or at the 1957 Cannes Film Festival . With this film he revolutionised Ceylonese cinema , giving it a unique identity . It was the first Ceylonese movie to be shot outdoors . Although it was acclaimed internationally it was not a commercial success . Afterward he made many award-winning films such as '' Gamperaliya '' in 1964 based on Martin Wickramasinghe 's famous novel which received the Golden Peacock at the International Film Festival of India ; " Delowak Athara " in 1966 ; " Golu Hadawatha " in 1968 based on the novel by Karunasena Jayalath ; " Nidhanaya " in 1970 which was chosen as the best film of the first 50 years of Sri Lankan cinema and was included among the top 100 films of the century by the Cinémathèque Française ; " Yuganthaya " in 1983 ; and Wekande Walauwa in 2002 which received the UNESCO felini award . He has directed over 28 feature films
1957 Cannes Film Festival
1957 Cannes Film Festival
Lester James Peries