Bennett Rathnayake

Bennett Rathnayake is a well-known actor, director, producer, and screenwriter from Srilankan Film and Television Industry. He was Chairman of the Sri Lanka Film Directors Association. He was born on 24 October in Matale, Sri Lanka. Since 1978, he has worked as Department of Customs, Sri Lanka for few years. Later, he earned a Diploma in the Science of Gems at the University of Moratuwa. Her wife is Samanmalee Hawapanna, and they have one son, Udara, and two daughters named Erandathi and Bhagya.

In 1986, he produced 25-minute drama Piyawaru Saha Puththu in the cinematography program conducted by OCIC. Drama has also won the award for the best nonserial program in the OCIC Award Ceremony. Later, he produced various Television serials such as Tharu, Grahanaya, Makara Vijithaya, Kalu Hansayo, Kadumuna, Palingu, and Tharu. He  has also directed the serial Sayuren Eha in 1988. In 1994, he founded his  institution, Ben Films, as a production institute for teledramas and cinema making.

In 2001, he has directed the film Aswesuma. The film got various awards, including the Sarasaviya award for Best Director, the Platinum Award for Best First Feature at the 34th Houston International Film Festival, the Don Quixoti, the Golden Reel award for Best Director at Tiburon International Film Festival held at the Tiburon Playhouse Theatre in the USA, a special jury award at the 7th Dhaka Film Festival and FIPRESCI Prize at the Bombay International Film Festival. The film was selected the Montreal and  Quebec City International Film Festivals as well as, the Singapore IFF, Kerala IFF and  Moscow IFF.

The film also got an entry in a competitive section at the 25th São Paulo International Film Festival in Brazil and  the 4th International Film Festival in India. His second directed film Sulanga also got six awards at the Calcutta International Film festival, Montreal IFF, Rio International Film Festival in Brazil and Silver Remi Award at the Houston International Film Festival. He has also directed films like Ira Handa Yata, Sath Ima, and the TV serials Romeo and Dante and Palingu Piyapath Palingu Piyapath is a Sri Lankan TV series in the >> Read More... . He has also acted in the movies Ran Kevita, Ran Kevita, Aswesuma, and Rajya Sevaya Pinisai. He was also part of the jury panel of the 15th International Film Festival of Pune, India.