Cadmium sulfide thin films, grown by pulsed laser deposition (PLD) on glass substrates, show green photoluminescence and lasing characteristics under optical excitation at room temperature. X-ray diffraction shows the polycrystalline films are of wurtzite structure and have (0 0 2) preferred orientation. Laser thresholds are around 1.8 MW cm(-2) and the peak emission is at 501 nm. Fabry-Perot laser modes are spaced at 16 nm indicating cavity lengths of 2.9 mu m. Results indicate that laser microcavities are consistently self-formed within the hexagonal lattice.