This article primarily discusses the Sinhala-language cinema in Sri Lanka. For information on Tamil-language cinema in Sri Lanka, see also Sri Lankan Tamil cinema.

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

Kadawunu Poronduwa

Kadawunu Poronduwa was the first film to be made in the Sinhala language; it is generally considered to have heralded the coming of Sinhala Cinema. The film was produced and filmed in India however, and was highly influenced by South Indian melodrama...

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.