Released April 5, 2022
A RARE PEARL OF SRI LANKA UNPRECEDENTED IN FRANCE
A PRECIOUS SNAPSHOT OF A PLACE AND TIME RARELY PORTRAIT IN FILM
In Kalpitiya, a small fishing village in Sri Lanka, the arrival of young city dwellers will cause great tension within the community. Victor came here with his friends to clean up the affairs of his father, a local fishing chief. But the patriarch Anton does not take kindly to his new methods imported from the city. The friction will intensify when Victor sets his sights on the seductive Helen, already promised to another man in the village...
Directed in 1978 by Dharmasena Pathiraja, “the terrible child of Sri Lankan cinema”, The Wasps Are There tackles with rare subtlety the emblematic clash between urban values from the West and traditional rural values. Imbued with a realistic authenticity and a very strong political subtext, this drama is also marked by a gentle sensuality. The figures are of great complexity, and the sandy, sun-bleached landscape is portrayed evocatively. Available for the first time on Blu-ray™ and DVD in its new 4K restoration, The Wasps Are Here is a landmark work in Sri Lankan cinema.
THE WASPS ARE HERE by Dharmasena Pathiraja
(1978 - Black & White - 124 mins)
Original version with French subtitles
Blu-ray or DVD edition
SUPPLEMENTS (IN HD*)
. THE WORM IS IN THE FRUIT (26 mins)
“Wasps do not produce. Unlike bees, they do not forage to produce […]. Men are those wasps who think only of themselves…” A unique interview with Gérald Duchaussoy, head of the Cannes Classics section at the Cannes Film Festival and in charge of programming at the International Classic Film Market at the Lumière Festival in Lyon.
. RESTORATION
. RESTORATION TRAILER
* in HD on the Blu-ray Disc™ version
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BD 50 • HIGH DEFINITION MASTER • 1080/23.98p • AVC ENCODING
Original Version DTS-HD Master Audio 1.0 • French Subtitles
Format 1.37 respected • Black & White • Film length: 124 mins
DVD 9 • HIGH DEFINITION MASTER • PAL • MPEG-2 ENCODING
Original Version Dolby Digital 1.0 • French Subtitles
1.33 format respected • 4/3 • Black & White • Film length: 119 mins
Released April 5, 2022
