Bawa Duka - The Sorrow of Existence - Part I 1997

Set in 1905 during the British colonial reign in Sri Lanka

Directed by Dharmasiri Bandaranayake

Set during the British colonial reign in Sri Lanka (1905), this powerful drama follows Peduru who descends from a line of traditional drummers, crossing over to three generations. Peduru's struggle for survival in this harsh rural hamlet exposes the repressive Buddhist institutionalization of the locals, and the hierarchical structure backed by the British colonials.