8th Sarasaviya Awards
The 8th Sarasaviya Awards festival, presented by the Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Limited, was held to honor the best films of 1979 Sinhala cinema on March 29, 1980, at the Colombo New Theater Grounds, Sri Lanka. It was held after ten years gap due to the political unrest prevailed in the country. Minister of Lands, Land Development and Mahaweli Development Gamini Dissanayake was the chief guest at the awards night.
The film Handaya won the most awards with seven including Best Film.
Awards
| Category | Film | Recipient |
| Best Film | Handaya | Titus Thotawatte |
| Best Director | Handaya | Titus Thotawatte |
| Best Actor | Sarungale | Gamini Fonseka |
| Best Actress | Hingana Kolla | Malani Fonseka |
| Best Supporting Actor | Handaya | Henry Jayasena |
| Best Supporting Actress | Sarungale | Farina Lai |
| Best Script Writer | Handaya | Titus Thotawatte |
| Best Cinematographer | Handaya | Andrew Jayamanne |
| Best Editor | Handaya | Titus Thotawatte |
| Best Sound Effects | Palagetiyo | George Manatunga |
| Best Music Direction | Palagetiyo | D. R. Pieris |
| Best Lyricist | Handaya | Arisen Ahubudu |
| Best Male Playback Singer | Muwan Palessa | W. D. Amaradeva |
| Best Female Playback Singer | Monarathenna | Nanda Malini |
| Most Popular Actor | People's vote | Gamini Fonseka |
| Most Popular Actress | People's vote | Malani Fonseka |
| Category | Film |
| Popular Awards from Reader Vote | - |
| Popular Awards from Reader Vote | Muwan Palessa |
| Popular Awards from Reader Vote | Nuwan Renu |
| Popular Awards from Reader Vote | Monarathenna |
| Popular Awards from Reader Vote | Hingana Kolla |
| Popular Awards from Reader Vote | Sarungale |
| Popular Awards from Reader Vote | Handaya |
| Popular Awards from Reader Vote | Palagetiyo |