Buongiorno Italia – The Birth and Making of Mille Soya Boodee Keerthisena

It was two movies, A Fish Called Wanda and Caravaggio that rooted my love for the Italian language. In A Fish Called Wanda, Jamie Lee Curtis tells Kevin Kline who was always talking Italian, “Talk to me in Italian”, and their scenes were always very funny. I watched the movie again recently and after visiting Italy fifteen times, understood every word Kevin was saying. He was spouting forth the names of food or cheeses, pronouncing them with an

Sinhala movies based on Buddhist concepts

Unlike in the past, there is unprecedented enthusiasm among artistes and filmmakers now to base their creations on religious, historic or philosophical themes. Today we focus on movies made on Buddhist themes during the 74-year history of Sinhala cinema. It should however be noted that despite the existence of 550 Jathaka stories only a few have been transformed into movies in this country, though well-known tele drama director Thusita de Silva m

We need to bounce back in these challenging times

With theaters shut down for the second time and film, TV and streaming projects on hold, the damage caused by the latest COVID wave is taking a heavy toll on the country’s entertainment industry too. ‘While cinemas gradually began to open with limited seating and film shoots resumed, the devastation caused by the ongoing thir

Somalatha Subasinghe

The sixth death anniversary of legendary actress, playwright, directress Somalatha Subasinghe fell yesterday, May 30. Ms. Subasinghe made outstanding contributions to children’s and youth theatre while contributing to the stage and cinema as a

Happy B’day Pink in Colombo

Birthdays are one of the most joyful days that bring about wonderful feelings and happy thoughts, but for glamour icon Glenda Parthiban dubbed ‘Pink in Colombo’ , her birthday celebration last week was just limited to two – she and her husband Mathi. “Birthdays are so special. It means a lot to me too.

Through the ages A film on the evolution of the sari

The sari is an item of clothing that holds much mystique and allure. Six yards of fabric wrapped around the female form can be a conundrum as it both conceals and reveals. The sari covers up the bare body but when it is draped across the co

Staying Indoors

As most of us are now adhering to the law and staying indoors owing to another wave of the virus hitting us, not only in our country but in most parts of the world, we must find ways to keep ourselves occupied. Whilst many seem to find way

SRI LANKAN SINGER ‘DUAVA’ ON HIS HIT SONG COLOMBO RAIN

Sri Lankan/Canadian singer ‘Duava’ has been making music for as long as he can remember. He found his voice as an artiste at the age of 5 and has been releasing his own music since. Over the years, Duava has released a number of songs; some his own solo works and some in collaboration with global artistes like The LJ and Mandrazo. Currently, he is managed by Canadian record label Cave Music Group and more recently, he also joined 7Clouds, a recor

Yevan David The First Sri Lankan Karter To Win Internationally

Yevan Ranasinghe David at just 13 years of age made history for Sri Lanka on 2 May 2021 as the first Sri Lankan to win a European Heat karting race in Genk, Belgium. Yevan competed in the OKJ category at the Karting European C

Anticipation

Undoubtedly, the talk amongst most people is about the booster, second, vaccine of the AstraZeneca Brand. Over six hundred thousand are eagerly waiting for this second jab which is supposed to be taken within twelve weeks. Twelve weeks

Dilmah Conservation Is Building Back Better For Bees With ‘Bee A Keeper’

Our quality of life depends on many services that nature provides for free. One of these is pollination. According to the UN, over 75% of agricultural land depends on pollinators such as bees, birds, bats, and butterflies. However, 40 perc

Box Office: Spiral Claims No. 1

Angelina Jolie’s survival action thriller “Those Who Wish Me Dead” didn’t do much to revive the North American box office. The Warner Bros. film, which debuted simultaneously on the streaming service HBO Max, took in a paltry $2.8 million in its opening weekend. The movie’s hybrid release on HBO Max likely isn’t the reason “Those Who Wish Me Dead” sold hardly any tickets; “Godzilla vs. Kong” and “Mortal Kombat” were both recent Warner Bros. films

Twins Café

Today I was tagged on an interesting page run by twins and I must say they are cute and the food taste amazing, these two boys speak the language of love and only positivity and humbleness you see in them, I was so happy I was able to spend my afternoon with them not only trying their amazing food, but also coming to know how their challenging life has inspired them to achieve their dreams, Meet Sudesh and Tilina although their names don’t rhyme

WHAT WE CAN LEARN FROM OUR CHILDREN

These are indeed emotionally straining times a parent can find themselves in. As the pandemic rears its infectious head around our island once again, we are forced to take refuge in our households. Every difficult scenario, whatever the

IN CONVERSATION WITH THE INSATIABLY CURIOUS RUWANI HETTIARACHCHI

Ruwani Hettiarachchi (37) is many things all at once. She’s the Chief Growth Officer at Hemas Holdings PLC, past Board Memb

‘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.