Joe Abeywickrama

Acting

Joe Abeywickrama

Born 1927-06-22 · Rathnapura, Sri Lanka

Deshabandu Gammana Patabendige Don John Abeywickrama, populalry as Joe Abeywickrama, was an actor in Sri Lankan cinema, theater and television.

Acting credits

Soldadu Unnahe poster
NR

During Sri Lanka’s Independence Day on its eve, the holiday and the day after, and involves the participation of four oppressed souls: a World War II veteran, a prostitute, her thieving pimp and a clerk who have chosen the base of a tree as their asylum from the spectacle of pageantry.

Soldadu Unnahe

1981

Thousand Thoughts poster
7.0

Lalith is a chief Clarke of a Government Department. He falls in love with Nilanthi, a newly recruited typist. But Nilanthi is attracted to another handsome young Clarke in the same department named Sagara. Lalith detests this. He starts to suspect each and every act of Sagara and Nilanthi. ‘Dahasak Sithivili’ is based on Lalith’s efforts to prevent himself from getting carried away by these endless suspicions.

Thousand Thoughts

1968

Baddegama poster
6.0

Baddegama or, more correctly, Beddegama is a 1980 award winning Sinhalese language film directed by Lester James Peries that follows the lives of village people in British Colonial Sri Lanka. The film is based on the 1913 book titled as "The Village in the Jungle" by Leonard Woolf. Silindu is a hunter in a small village where he and his family endure a life of hardships. After facing disease and poverty under colonial rule, the final blow comes when Silindu is tried for murder.

Baddegama

1980

Aswasuma poster
6.0

An elderly man who regrets certain events in his past life displays his struggle to relieve the bottled-up feelings which had disturbed him throughout his life. Opening with the funeral of the elderly Guneris' wife the film follows the revelation of his past which is filled with a number of tragic events including a triple murder he had committed 52 years ago.

Aswasuma

2002

Mangrove Island poster
9.0

Madol Duwa (Mangrove Island) is a 1976 Sri Lankan drama film directed by Lester James Peries and produced by Upasena Marasinghe. The film stars Ajith Jinadasa as Upali, a young rebellious youth who travels to a small island to get away from the restrictive society around him. The film is based on Martin Wickremasinghe's 1947 novel Madol Doova. It was a commercial success

Mangrove Island

1976

Bambaru Awith poster
6.8

In a fishing village, Anton Aiya is an exploiter who outwardly resembles and acts like a regular fisherman, but he exploits and feeds off the other fishermen. In this setting, members of the urban entrepreneurial youth. They have adapted to Western culture, dressing like Westerners and preferring Western music. Conflict arises between Anton Aiya and Baby Mahattaya (Victor), a representative of the urban youth. A middle-class leftist, Weerasena, is also part of this group. The arrival of these youths has clearly caused a social crisis requiring a solution, and all Weerasena can do is stand on a platform and deliver a speech that no one listens to. He finally leaves for the city.

Bambaru Awith

1978

Thushara poster
NR

Sampath, Thushara and Keerthi are batchmates. Sonia is a relation of Sampath. Thushara is Sampath's girl friend at campus. Sonia and Thushara are friends. Sonia's father and Sampath's mother tries to make them marry but Sampath doesn't have any romantic feelings for Sonia. So Sonia and specially her father does things to put apart Thushara and Sampath. One is to tell fake things to Thushara's father about Sampath and make him disappointed. Another one is attacking Sampath at a club. The story goes on as Sampath persists those challenges and finally marries Thushara and at the end of the film we get the feeling that Sonia and Keerthi find love between them too.

Thushara

1973

Awaragira poster
8.0

Awaragira is a 1990 Sri Lankan film directed by Lester James Peries and produced by Dilman Jayaratne for Dil Films. It stars Joe Abeywickrama, Iranganie Serasinghe and Tony Ranasinghe in lead roles along with Lucky Dias and Vasanthi Chathurani. Music composed by Premasiri Khemadasa.

Awaragira

1990

Sikuruliya poster
NR

​A naive village girl’s romantic dreams are shattered when she is forced into an abusive marriage with a cruel aristocrat. Stripped of her innocence, she must find the strength to defy the patriarchal society that bounds her, transforming into a hardened, fiercely independent woman.

Sikuruliya

1975

The Girls poster
6.8

In rural Sri Lanka, two sisters pursue love and personal ambitions despite their family's strict social expectations. As class barriers and financial struggles intensify, both women are forced to abandon their dreams for family duty.

The Girls

1978

God King poster
7.0

Epic tale set in 5th century Sri Lanka, following the battle for the throne between Kassapa and his father King Dhatusena

God King

1974

Rebellion poster
10.0

The film centered around the story behind national patriot Veera Puran Appu and his Matale rebellion in 1848 for the freedom from British. Though he was executed by the British by firing squad, his influence to the country's independence has been highly praised and thus Puran Appu is highlighted as a national hero of the Sri Lankan history.

Rebellion

1978

The Way of the Lotus (Devoid of Passions) poster
9.0

This psychological drama attempts to dwell into the mind of Aravinda, whose Buddhist empathy and detachment are contrasted with his worldly friends and relatives. The English translation of the title, "The Way of the Lotus" implies Aravinda as Lotus-rising above dirt and mud to blossom.

The Way of the Lotus (Devoid of Passions)

1987

Death on a Full Moon Day poster
6.5

Drama about a father who refuses to believe in his son's death at war.

Death on a Full Moon Day

1997

Cheriyo Captain poster
10.0

Cheriyo Captain is a 1995 Sri Lankan Sinhala comedy film directed by Roy de Silva and produced by Thilak Atapattu for TK Films. It is the second film of Cheriyo film series, which is sequel to Cheriyo Doctor.

Cheriyo Captain

1995

Parasathu Mal poster
NR

The story follows Bonny Mahaththaya (Gamini Fonseka), a wealthy and hedonistic landowner who lives a life of wine and pleasure. His world is challenged by his unrequited love for Kamala (Punya Heendeniya), who instead loves a humble worker named Sirisena (Joe Abeywickrama).

Parasathu Mal

1966

Thun Man Handiya poster
8.0

Based on the famous novel Thun Man Handiya, this movie demonstrates a fraction of life of a youth who reflects back to his childhood and steps to a new era of life when he moves to the Governmental Art Academy.

Thun Man Handiya

1970

Loku Duwa poster
8.0

"Loku Duwa" depicts an attractive and self-sacrificing daughter of the middle class in the city who is trapped in a family of traditional values.

Loku Duwa

1994

A Woman in a Whirlpool poster
NR

Set in the dry zone of Sri Lanka, Suddi is married to a notorious criminal in the village, Romiel. Convicted for a murder Romiel is jailed. Miserable Suddhi has to depend on Sirimewan Mudalalie, a shrewd businessman from town.

A Woman in a Whirlpool

1985

Welikathara poster
9.0

An intense, cat-and-mouse drama between newly appointed ASP Randeniya and a local thug (Goring Mudalali). Randeniya's life gradually falls apart as he wages war against Goring Mudalali's crime syndicate, erupting in a shocking climax.

Welikathara

1971

The Road from Elephant Pass poster
6.5

The Road from Elephant Pass is a 2008 action thriller film produced, screen played and directed by Chandran Rutnam based on the novel The Road from Elephants Pass by Nihal De Silva

The Road from Elephant Pass

2009

Island of Treasures poster
NR

The movie is about the discovery of an underwater treasure. It involves a mixture of ancient legends, human treachery and romance.

Island of Treasures

1962

Chandar, the Black Leopard of Ceylon poster
6.5

Chandar is a black leopard who lives near the beach of Ceylon (Sri Lanka) together with his mother and his sister.

Chandar, the Black Leopard of Ceylon

1972

Kolomba Sanniya: Coming Sweet poster
5.0

Kolomba Sanniya (Colombo Mania) is a 1976 Sinhalese language comedy film directed by Manik Sandrasagara that follows the lives of middle and upper-class people in rural and urban Sri Lanka. The film stars Geetha Kumarasinghe, Joe Abeywickrema and Denewake Hamine are notable for containing the first depiction of best comedy in a Sinhala film.

Kolomba Sanniya: Coming Sweet

1976