The funeral of veteran filmmaker Dr  Lester James Peiris will be held at Independence Square at 4 pm today.

President Maithripaa Sirisena instructed his Secretary Austin Fernando this morning to make arrangements to hold the funeral under state patronage. 

President Sirisena and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe are expected to attend the funeral. 

Dr. Peiris, the most accomplished filmmaker in Sri Lanka, passed away at a private hospital in Colombo on Sunday night. 

He was 99 at the time of his demise.