''Bambaru Avith (The Wasps are Here)'' () is a 1978

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...

n Sinhala drama film directed by

Dharmasena Pathiraja Pathiraja Navaratne Wanninayake Mudiyanselage Ranjith Dharmasena (28 March 1943 – 28 January 2018) was a Sri Lankan film director and screenwriter. He has been referred to as a 'rebel with a cause', an ‘''enfant terrible'' of the '70s', and ...

and produced by director himself with Thilak Godamanne for Saranga Salaroo. It explores tradition and exploitation following the introduction of capitalism to a tiny fishing village and the subsequent clash between the local boss and the urban outsider.

Plot

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.

Cast

Malini Fonseka Wanniarachchige Malini Senehelatha Fonseka, (; ; 30 April 1947 – 24 May 2025) was a Sri Lankan actress, theatre artist, director and politician. Often dubbed the "Queen of Sri Lankan Cinema", her career spanned seven decades. Fonseka made her ...

as Helen *

Vijaya Kumaratunga Kovilage Anton Vijaya Kumaranatunga (; ; 9 October 1945 – 16 February 1988), popularly known as Vijaya Kumaratunga'','' was a Sri Lankan film actor, playback singer and politician regarded as one of the most popular icons in Sri Lankan cinem ...

as Victor, Baby Mahattaya * Joe Abeywickrema as Anton Aiya * Cyril Wickramage as Cyril *

Daya Thennakoon Daya Bandara Tennakoon (born 29 November 1941 – died 17 April 2020 as දයා තෙන්නකෝන්) inhala, was an actor in Sri Lankan cinema, stage drama and television. Personal life He was born on 29 November 1941 in the small ...

as Francis *

Wimal Kumara de Costa Wimal Kumara de Costa (4 July 1948 – 20 November 2016 as විමල් කුමාර ද කොස්තා inhala was an actor in Sri Lankan cinema. He started his career in cinema with character acting in art films, later moving on ...

as Weerasena *

Amarasiri Kalansuriya Amarasiri Kalansuriya (; 20 September 1940 – 1 April 2023), popularly known as Kalan, was an actor in Sri Lankan cinema, theatre and television. Kalansuriya made his first film appearance alongside Vijaya Kumaratunga in '' Hanthana Kathawa'' ...

as Sanath * Somasiri Dehipitiya as Seba * Ruby de Mel as Celestina, Helen's mother * Vincent Vaas as Anton's friend * Daya Alwis as Church father * W. Jayasiri as Michael * S. H. Somapala as Christopher * Piyasena Ahangama as Navy officer

Music

Premasiri Khemadasa composed the music for the film. The two main songs are "Udumbara" and "Handunagathoth Oba Ma."

Reception

Critical response

Steve Rose of ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

'', in a 2021 review of a restored version of the film, gave it a score of 4/5 stars. He wrote: "This realist drama from 1978 is well worth the effort, not only because it is a landmark of Sri Lankan cinema... but also because it addresses universal socio-political themes with elegant simplicity." He concluded: "Despite the realist authenticity and political intent, there’s also a gentle sensuality to the story, with soft folk music and moments of tender romance. The characters are believably complex and conflicted, and the sandy, sun-bleached landscape is evocatively portrayed. It feels like a precious snapshot of a place and time rarely glimpsed."

Awards and nominations

* Sri Lankan representative at 1978

Moscow International Film Festival The Moscow International Film Festival (, Transliteration, translit. ''Moskóvskiy myezhdunaródniy kinofyestivál''; abbreviated as MIFF) is a film festival first held in Moscow in 1935 and became regular since 1959. From its inception to ...

* Screened at Mostra and

Los Angeles Film Festival The LA Film Festival was an annual film festival that was held in Los Angeles, California, and usually took place in June. It showcased independent, international, feature, documentary and short films, as well as web series, music videos, episodi ...

s * Presidential awards for the Best Film and Best Director, 1979 * OCIC awards for Best Film and Best Director, 1979 * Named the fourth Best Sri Lankan Film of the first 50 years by a Presidential council * Featured in the Cannes Classics 2020,

Asian Film Archive The Asian Film Archive (AFA) is a non-governmental organisation in Singapore that preserves the film heritage of Asian Cinema. The archive is located at the National Library, Singapore, National Library Building along Victoria Street, a five-minute ...

's 4K film and sound restoration were done by L’Immagine Ritrovata using the sole-surviving 35mm film positive.

References

External links

* * 1978 films 1978 drama films Sri Lankan drama films 1970s Sinhala-language films {{SriLanka-film-stub