Hemasiri Liyanage

Acting

Hemasiri Liyanage

Born 1942-12-25

Hemasiri Dhanawatha Liyanage, is an actor in Sri Lankan cinema, theater, and television. He is well known for the dramatic roles in Thattu Gewal and Thaththa teledramas and films Sankranthi, Sthuthi Nawatha Enna and Madhura Charika.

Acting credits

Dreaming Butterflies poster
6.5

Heena Hoyana Samanallu (Dreaming Butterflies) (Sinhalese: හීන හොයන සමනල්ලු) is a 2017 Sri Lankan Sinhala family drama film directed by Rohan Perera and produced by Sunil T Fernando for Sunil T Films. Shehan, who belongs to a higher middle class family is the only child of Madhavi (Dilhani Ekanayake) and Adithya (Saumya Liyanage). Their lives changed unexpectedly when Shehan is diagnosed with leukemia.

Dreaming Butterflies

2017

This Is My Moon poster
5.2

Set in a Northern border village during the Sri Lankan Civil War, a Sinhalese soldier meets a Tamil girl in the battlefield. The soldier leaves the army with the girl, and goes back to his village. The arrival of the Tamil girl into this predominantly Sinhala village causes a stir within the community, where they collectively decide to send her to a refugee camp. "This is My Moon" is a controversial examination of village life, where rural myths are shattered to reveal a deeper reality of a society torn apart by war.

This Is My Moon

2000

Father of Independence poster
5.8

As the rage against British colonization in Sri Lanka continues, civilians are having a new hope about their new activists.

Father of Independence

2018

Bawa Karma - The Sorrow of Existence - Part II poster
NR

A continuation of “Bawa Duka”; via Peduru’s family, the narrative exposes the social stasis/class discrimination encouraged by the local Sinhalese Buddhist clergy, while the arrival of the Christian missionaries signals a more progressive mindset, though at the cost of conversion to a monotheistic faith. Tyranny is not only practiced by the British colonials but equally facilitated by local traditional institutions--thus, the resultant suffering (Duka) of Peduru is a combination of the two.

Bawa Karma - The Sorrow of Existence - Part II

1997

Cricket Sadu poster
NR

ක්‍රිකට් සාදු (Cricket Sadu) is a 2026 Sinhala drama directed by Dilshara Jayamanna, starring Priyantha Sirikumara, Dinakshie Priyasad, and Damithu Fernando. It is a heartwarming story that follows a gifted young boy named Nuwan and a compassionate young monk as they navigate childhood, faith, and the social pressures of playing cricket.

Cricket Sadu

2026

Bawa Duka - The Sorrow of Existence - Part I poster
NR

Set during the British colonial reign in Sri Lanka (1905), this powerful drama follows Peduru who descends from a line of traditional drummers, crossing over to three generations. Peduru's struggle for survival in this harsh rural hamlet exposes the repressive Buddhist institutionalization of the locals, and the hierarchical structure backed by the British colonials.

Bawa Duka - The Sorrow of Existence - Part I

1997

Mother Teresa: In the Name of God's Poor poster
5.4

Calcutta, 1946. Violence rages in India. Sister Teresa teaches at a convent, but is haunted by the faces of the starving, the poor and the homeless; the faces of those less fortunate than her. With only her faith in God, she leaves the convent to live in the slums and care for the poor. An surprisingly, even one of the most revered, selfless heroes questioned her purpose.

Mother Teresa: In the Name of God's Poor

1997

Nagaran poster
NR

A fast-paced movie that deals with corrupt politicians, rape, and forced marriages. A politician will be stabbed and another person's leg will be cut off.

Nagaran

1999

Leopard Do Not Bite poster
6.0

In a small village deep within the forests of Sri Lanka, everyone follows the teachings of a monk, with the exception of one hunter. While no one dares to kill in accordance with the monk’s teachings, the lone hunter hunts and provides meat for everyone. Meanwhile, beautiful villager Gomari is killed by a leopard, but no one knows this. Suspecting what happened to Gomari, the hunter begs the monk to cancel the upcoming full moon rituals, but the monk refuses, believing in the inevitability of fate. The hunter that never kills unless absolutely necessary must now hunt alone for the leopard that will attack humans.

Leopard Do Not Bite

2015

Pantrum poster
NR

A war-born son and his traumatized father navigate cycles of violence in Sri Lanka.

Pantrum

2025

The Virgins poster
9.0

Anil Ruwanwalla, a young photographer meets beautiful Deepthi in a pub and later the friendship turns into love.

The Virgins

1993

Bulletproof Children poster
NR

It's the 17th of March 1996. Wills Cricket World Cup Final between Australia and Sri Lanka is about to commence at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore. Meanwhile, in Colombo, a man and his wife board a bus carrying a strange cardboard box. Joined by an eloping young couple, several other interesting passengers aboard, they take off on a long night's journey. The seemingly peaceful bus ride shifts its pace when it enters a chase with a Defender jeep. An accident unexpectedly reveals the contents of the cardboard box promising the passengers a journey unlike any they have taken before.

Bulletproof Children

2020

Moon Lady poster
7.0

This film indicated the formation of a cinematic language consisting of hyper-realistic images. The film won the award for Most Promising Director at the Critics' awards in 1994. It was also awarded Best Film, Best Director, and Best Screenplay at the 1998 OCIC awards.

Moon Lady

1998

Inflammable poster
NR

Kamal murders his wife and, in an agitated and confused state, he sets on a journey to dispose of the body.

Inflammable

2020

The Forsaken Land poster
4.5

A home-guard serviceman assigned the task of standing watch over a barren no-man's-land begins to experience an existential crisis after years of lonely service.

The Forsaken Land

2005

The Other Half poster
7.0

Living with the pain of a poisoned environment and a society that doesn't understand the value of an individual.

The Other Half

2019