Sri Lankan cinema encompasses the films made in Sri Lanka. It is a fledgling industry that has struggled to find a footing since its inauguration in 1947 with Kadawunu Poronduwa produced by S.M.Nayagam of Chitra Kala Movietone. Sri Lankan films are usually made in the Sinhalese language, the language of the majority Sinhala people.

In the first nine years most films were made in South India and followed the conventions of Indian cinema. Studio shooting was the norm, with Indian style sets erected in film studios. Even though it is popularly held that Rekava, made in 1956 by pioneer director Lester James Peries, was the first Sinhala film to be shot completely out of studio, it was really the film "Gambada Sundari", made in 1950 which was the first film shot outside studios. It was also the first Sri Lankan film where, like in "Rekawa", the dialog was recorded on the spot. This was because the film was shot on 16mm, using an Auricon sound-on-film camera which recorded the sound on the 16mm film optically, unlike in the case of where the sound was recorded on a Kinevox 35mm magnetic recorder. The film was later 'blown-up' to 35mm and was screened in Colombo in 1950.

Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka (ⁱ/ʃriː ˈlɑːŋkə/, /sriːˈlɑːŋkə/, or /sriːˈlæŋkə/;Sinhala: ශ්‍රී ලංකාව, Tamil: இலங்கை), is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent in South Asia. Known until 1972 as Ceylon ( /sɨˈlɒn/, /seɪˈlɒn/, or /siːˈlɒn/), Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar, the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the Maldives.

As a result of its location in the path of major sea routes, Sri Lanka is a strategic naval link between West Asia and South East Asia. It was an important stop on the ancient Silk Road. Sri Lanka has also been a center of the Buddhist religion and culture from ancient times, being the nation where the Buddhist teachings were first written down as well as the oldest continually Buddhist country. Sri Lanka boasts a diverse range of cultures, languages and religions. The Sinhalese people form the majority of the population; Tamils, who are concentrated in the north and east of the island, form the largest ethnic minority. Other communities include Moors, Burghers, Kaffirs, Malays and the aboriginal Vedda people.

Thambi Ramaiah is an Indian film actor and director, who works in the Tamil film industry. He directed the Vadivelu-starrer Indiralohathil Na Azhagappan; his performance in Mynaa, won a National Film Award for Best Supporting Actor. Ramaiah has also been working occasionally as a lyricist.

He actually came to cinema to write lyrics and compose music. Unexpectedly he became a director. He worked as an associate director to T. Rajender and P. Vasu. He directed Manu Needhi which had Murali in the lead role and also Vadivelu starrer Indralogathil Na Azhagappan which was a flop. Vadivelu is his best friend, Ramiah wrote all the comedy tracks for Vadivelu and also appeared in them. He made his debut doing a small role with Goundamani in the Sathyaraj starrer Malabar Police. Though he did character roles in Kodambakkam, Oram Po and Vetrivel Sakthivel, he did not get the expected. So he thought that acting is not suitable for him and he patiently waited. Myna has now changed his life. This film is a turning point.

Sir James Peiris, JP (December 20, 1856–1930) was a prominent figure in the Sri Lankan independence movement and a Vice President of the Legislative Council.

Born on December 20, 1856 to T Martinus Pieris and Apolonia de Soysa, a wealthy family who faced comparative poverty 15 years later along with the death of his father. Peiris was educated at the prestigious Colombo Academy (now Royal College, Colombo) where he excelled in studies winning the Shakespeare and Turner prizes. He won the English University Scholarship in 1877 and proceeded to the St John's College, University of Cambridge. At Cambridge he had the rare distinction of obtaining a double first - a first class in the Law Tripos and a first class in the Moral Science Tripos. There he was the first non-European to be elected President of the Cambridge Union in 1882. Peiris was called to Bar at the Lincoln's Inn in England thus becoming a barrister. He refused to join the prestigious Ceylon Civil Service but instead started a law practice. In 1902 he accepted for a short time the office of District Judge of Galle. As a lawyer he played a great role in constitutional reform.

Percy Mahendra "Mahinda" Rajapaksa (Sinhala: මහින්ද රාජපක්ෂ,pronounced [maˈhində ˈraːɟəˌpakʂə]), Tamil: மகிந்த ராசபக்ச; born November 18, 1945) is the 6th President of Sri Lanka and Commander in Chief of the Sri Lankan Armed Forces. A lawyer by profession, Rajapaksa was first elected to the Parliament of Sri Lanka in 1970, and served as prime minister from April 6, 2004 until his victory in the 2005 Presidential election. He was sworn in for a six-year term as president on November 19, 2005. He was re-elected for a second term in office on January 27, 2010.

Rajapaksa was born in Weerakatiya in the southern rural district of Hambantota. He hails from a well known political family in Sri Lanka. His father, D. A. Rajapaksa, was a prominent politician, independence agitator, Member of Parliament and Cabinet Minister of Agriculture and Land in Wijeyananda Dahanayake's government. D.M. Rajapaksa, his uncle, was a State Councillor for Hambantota in the 1930s who started wearing the earthy brown shawl to represent kurakkan (finger millet) cultivated by the people of his area, whose cause he championed throughout his life. It is from his example that Rajapaksa wears his characteristic shawl.