‘Sannasi Premaya’ on Dialog ViU App now

Well known film, teledrama and stage play producer, Dr. Arosha Fernando’s latest Mobile Teledrama Production ‘Sannasi Premaya’ directed by seasoned, award winning artiste and director, Lucky Dias has just been released on the Dialog ViU App ( https://www.dialog.lk/dialogviu ).

Remembering multi-faceted T. B. Illangaratne

The 29th death anniversary of distinguished politician, author, dramatist and theatre actor Tikiri Bandara Illangaratne – who’s better known as T. B. Illangaratne falls on May 21. The Member of Parliament who entered politics in 1947 and represented the Kandy, Galaha, Hewaheta and Kolonnawa electorates, served as a Cabinet Minister holding various portfolios including Labour, Housing, Social Services, Finance, Commerce, Food, Trade and Shipping i

Vasagam: A DoP par excellence

Remember yesteryear super hit Sinhala movies like Chandiya, Athma Pooja, Allapu Gedara, Dheewarayo, Sri 296, Sigiri Kashyapa, Thewatha? These movies had shattered box office records running to packed houses for months especially in the fifties and sixties.

Safeer turns film director

Veteran theatre practitioner and lecturer M. Safeer who has received local and international awards is for the first time donning the role of film director with the movie ‘Mama Nemei’ (Hereafter bygone). The shooting sc

Milestone movies marking golden jubilee this year

Five of Sinhala cinema’s outstanding movies will be marking their 50th year golden jubilee this year. Among them are Dr. D. B. Nihalsinghe’s ‘Welikathara’ – the country’s first cinemascope movie which was first screened on October 27, 1971. ‘Kalana Mithuro’ featuring newcomer Tissa Wijesurendra was screened on March 3, 1971 opening a new chapter for a new hero in the Sinhala cinema industry.

MOTHER’S DAY

Following her mother’s death in 1905, Anna Jarvis conceived Mother’s Day as a way of honouring the sacrifices mothers made for their children and organised the first Mother’s Day celebration at a West Virginia church as a means of ho

Conservation of Sri Lanka’s Knuckles World Heritage Site

The Wildlife and Nature Protection Society of Sri Lanka (WNPS)has signed a memorandum of understanding(MOU) with the Herpetological Foundation of Sri Lanka (HFS), in regards to a project which aims to help habitat cons

ASSESSING THE CRITICAL HABITATS OF SHARKS AND RAYS AROUND JAFFNA

Sharks and rays (elasmobranchs) are a unique group of fishes with skeletons made of cartilage. They play an important role in the marine food web, with many found in the higher trophic levels helping to maintain natural balance. Most elasmobranchs are extremely vulnerable to external pressures, such as fishing, due to their long lives, slow gro

2021 Commonwealth Short Story Prize Regional Winners Kanya D’Almeida in top 5

Doing Sri Lanka proud author Kanya D’Almeida has been announced as a regional winner at the 2021 Commonwealth Short Story Prize. The Commonwealth Short Story Prize started in 2012 with the launch of Commonwealth Writers. Free to enter and with a global reach across five continents, the Prize seeks out talented writers and brings stories from new and emerging voices to an international audience. 

Coronavirus: Latest global developments

Here are the latest developments in the coronavirus crisis: -

Voice Print Music Academy scores big win

Brightening up the current pensive mood in Sri Lanka, the Voice Print Music Academy’s win at the Children’s Choir Category at the 3rd Bandung Choral Society World Virtual Choir Festival is to be celebrated. Due to the pandemic, the World Virtual Choir Festival was held during 30th April – 7th May 2021 in Bandung Indonesia where the young musicians of the Voice Print Music Academy trained by Mr. Dilan Irugalbandara and Ms. Matheesha Udawatte repre

Promoting Unity through Photography

This week on the Buzz I speak to Jagath De Almeida, who is working with a team of young and talented people who are making Sri Lanka look pretty from the eyes of a lance. Ceylon Photography Awards is an ongoing competition which is working towards bringing new talent out to the world and giving a platform. To every budding photographer out there a chance to shine.

Army Commander reverses decision on regimental mascots A progressive step in the fight to free captive elephants in Sri Lanka

On the 24th of April 2021, Sri Lanka Light Infantry’s regimental ‘mascot’ Kandula VII killed a soldier while injuring several others. Following this incident a decision was taken to replace this elephant with another baby elephant from the Udawal

Coldplay beam up new single “Higher Power” to space

British band Coldplay chose an out of this world way to mark the release of their latest single “Higher Power” on Friday - by beaming up into space. The rock group, known for hit songs “Paradise” and “Viva la Vida”, linked up with the International Sp

‘KUNCHANADA’ TELE SHOOTING ENDS But when will the human-elephant conflict end?

The human-elephant conflict is a complex situation not only in Sri Lanka but also in many Asian countries. Over the past few decades, it has triggered harmful impacts on both species with no viable solution foreseen in the near future. The newest tele serial titled ‘Kunchanada’ directed by Christy Shelton Fernando touches upon this timely topic in a bid to provide an artistic contribution to resolving the issue.

Silver screen’s heartthrob Tissa Wijesurendra

The first death anniversary of yesteryear Sinhala cinema heartthrob Tissa Wijesurendra falls tomorrow, May 11. Tissa Wijesurendra ignited the silver screen with his chocolaty charm especially as the matinee idol of the seventies since he made his debut in Ranjith Lal’s ‘Nim Walalla’. But his major role came in Kalana Mithuro in the early seventies.

Remembering Vijaya Nandasiri

The 74th birth anniversary of veteran actor Vijaya Nandasiri fell on May 6. Illuppitiya Mudiyanselage Vijaya Nandasiri, who was born on May 6, 1947 plunged the nation into shock when he passed away suddenly on August 8 in 2016. Vijaya

Wes graduation and Pahim Path ceremony

The Nilan Maligaspe Creative Dance and Drama Academy recently held a colourful event to at the Colombo 7

Coping

Just when we concluded that 2020 was a horrendous year, 2021 moves in and seems to be equally bad or worse. Many are suffering from depression owing to what is happening around them. Our neighbouring country is crippled with the virus; horrific scenes are seen by all of us who watch the news channels; and international newspapers keep updating us

AUNTY MANI Celebrates 100 YEARS

It’s very rarely that you meet a centenarian. What’s more one who is fit, healthy, mentally alert, fiercely independent, cheerful and happy and above all a truly lovely person, inside and out. Well that’s Aunty Mani and I was privileged

WNPS Monthly Lecture Conserving Horton Plains What the Science Tells Us By Dr Rohan Pethiyagoda

Just about everyone who visits a protected area in Sri Lanka comes away with many ideas of how its management could be improved, and Horton Plains is no exception. Despite its small size, Horton Plains is one of our country’s most unique and priceless biodiversity assets—and sadly it faces graver threats than most other protected areas. Over-visitatio

Stigmata 21 Years of Heavy Metal

Stigmata is back on the map (Not like they ever left, but you know what I mean), and they are back with a brand new, hair raising, exciting single, “Throw Glass in a House of Stone”. This is the third release of their new and 5th still untitled album of which the other two singles were released last year. What makes these singles more unique than the ones t

Kumudini David

The buzz takes a visit this week into the quarantine centre, all thanks to Kumudini. She has been making positive waves on social media in collecting funds to help those who are in need at these centres. It’s so amazing to see how a little bit of k

Switching ON the success button Raising kids with Intrinsic Motivation

If I were to have a mother’s “wish” list, each point on this list would be centered on my children. As parents we all want the best for our little ones. But sometimes our want does not really align with our children’s actions. This year has indeed been a difficult one for our children, with haphazard lockdowns, online learning and all extracurricular sports and other activities cancelled, at no fault of their own, our children have educationally

Putting Beauty right again

The dust has not yet settled fully on the recently held local pageant to choose a rightful representative to the next Mrs. World contest. Hot on the heels of the recently abdicated Sri Lankan Mrs. World who is now fighting for something I have pursued

Redefining family values

At a time when human qualities such as understanding, thoughtfulness, kindness, creativity, love and sacrifice are becoming rare commodities and are in huge demand in today’s society, award-winning director Priyantha Colombage is making another significant move by releasing his newest tele serial ‘Sakuge Lokaya’ from today. “The covid pandemic has underlined the fact that is no better time than now, to value humanity and try to transform ourselve

Colombo Art Gallery opens

Colombo Art Gallery – a space created for authentic engagement, enabling community enrichment through a shared space integrity and collaboration, was declared open at Gandhara Street in Colombo recently. This came as a result of Dian Gomes’ long-standing passion for Art, consisting of his private globally sourced collection along with a fine curation of renowned local artistes.

‘Ru Boutique’ New kid on Kandy’s hospitality block

A hotel located in a city centre is always in the midst of noisy, hustle and bustle. But for ‘Ru Boutique’ in Kandy, it seems a blessing in disguise. Located in the busy Sangaraja Mawatha by the banks of ‘Kiri Muhuda’, popularly known as ‘Nuwara

Modern day Avurudu Kumari contests

April 2021 was a month of excitement and Avurudu was one of many reasons. Amidst COVID, media outlets and Sri Lankans occupied themselves with solving a ‘great mystery’ – whether the winner at a local beauty pageant was married or not. The matter not only made international headlines but put Sri Lanka under the spotlight.

Amanda Seyfried, James Norton face ghosts and marriage crisis in horror movie

Amanda Seyfried and James Norton play a young couple whose marriage and life unravel when they move to a haunted house in upstate New York in supernatural thriller “Things Heard & Seen”. Based on Elizabeth Brundage’s novel “All Things C