The restored 4K version of Gehenu Lamai, directed by the late Dr. Sumitra Peries, will be screened next week under the Cannes Classics category at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival 2025, which runs from 13th to 24th of May in France.
Originally released in 1978, Gehenu Lamai is a Sinhala teenage drama produced by the legendary Lester James Peries for Lester Films, and marks the directorial debut of Sumitra Peries—Sri Lanka’s first female filmmaker.
The film’s restoration was carried out by the Film Heritage Foundation in collaboration with the Dr. Lester James Peries and Sumitra Peries Foundation, and supported through a grant by the Embassies of France in Sri Lanka, the Maldives, and India under the FISCH (France–India–Sri Lanka Cine Heritage) initiative.
Sumitra Peries, who also served as Sri Lanka’s Ambassador to France and was decorated as a Chevalier of the Order of Arts and Letters by the French Government, left a legacy of over 10 critically acclaimed films and is celebrated as the “Poetess of Sri Lankan Cinema.”
Gehenu Lamai, which was recognized as the Outstanding Film of the Year at the 1978 London Film Festival, tells the poignant story of two sisters whose youthful dreams are stifled by class divisions and traditional constraints in rural Sri Lanka. The film features a memorable debut by Wasanthi Chathurani, who was just 16 at the time.
This marks the first Sri Lankan film restored by the Film Heritage Foundation to be selected for Cannes Classics, following its successful premieres of Indian restorations Thamp, Ishanou, and Manthan in the previous three years.
