1901 marked the introduction of film to Sri Lanka (then
called Ceylon) when a film was shown for the first time in the country at a
private screening for the British governor West Ridgeway and prisoners of the
Second Boer War. It was a short film that documented the British victory in the
Boer War, the burial of Queen Victoria and the coronation of Edward VII. More
English screenings followed and attracted British settlers and Anglicized
Sinhalese.
Cinema in Sri Lanka became a public affair due to the efforts
of Warwick Major, an Englishman who developed "bioscope" showings.
These were films screened out in open areas and makeshift tents. The first
permanent theaters were built by Madan Theaters in 1903. The company showed
Indian films and achieved success, prompting the development of theaters by the
rival Olympia.
In 1925 Rajakeeya Wickremaya (Royal Adventure) became the
first film to be made in Sri Lanka. Dr. N.M. Perera played the lead in the film
which was shown in India and Singapore. However this film reels got burnt
before they were shown in Sri Lanka. In 1933 the film Paliganeema was screened
in Colombo.
During the 1920s and 1930s films with American stars like
Charlie Chaplin, Greta Garbo, John Barrymore, Rudolph Valentino, and Douglas
Fairbanks, Jr. were popular in Sri Lanka. The Shiek and The Thief of Bagdad
were especially popular. in 1932, the first sound film to be screened was shown
at the Regal Cinema, titled "The Dream." By the 1930s Indian films
started to surpass English films in popularity. Bilwa Mangal set an early
record for Sri Lankan box office earning.
The beginnings of cinemas spread was seen when the Indian
Madan circuit established Elphinstone cinema in Colombo as a part of his
extensive cinema chain in Asia. Empire cinema, which became the longest
functioning cinema in Sri Lanka was established in 1915 and continued to
function till 2003 when it was demolished to make way for a commercial building
in Colombo
Inauguration (1947)
South Indian producer S. M. Nayagam played an important role
in the development of the first Sri Lankan film. In 1945, Nayagam founded a
company named Chitrakala Movietone and constructed a studio in Madurai, India
for the purpose of making a Sinhala film. After considering several options, he
decided to build the film around the historical love story of Saliya and
Asokamala and held a contest to find a suitable screenplay; the winner was
budding artist Shanthi Kumar. Due to disagreements however this project fell
through and Nayagam broke a deal with dramatist B. A. W. Jayamanne to film his
popular play Kadawunu Poronduwa.
