The selection of films on Sri Lanka
INGIRINTHU
Dir: SUMATHY SIVAMOHAN
82 MIN | 2013 | FEATURE FICTION | SRI LANKA
I TOO HAVE A NAME
Dir: SUBA SIVAKUMARAN
12 MIN | 2013 | SHORT FICTION | SRI LANKA
WHITE VAN STORIES
Dir: LEENA MANIMEKALAI
90 MIN | 2013 | DOCUMENTARY | INDIA
Curator’s Note
The set of 3 films that have been chosen for the 10th IAWRT film festival are made by women directors, who through their films have tried to ask a fundamental question: what constitutes an ethical and democratic society? Do the majority and minority populations have equal rights to participate in acts of citizenship?; and if ethnic minorities cannot make that claim, what does that say about contemporary Sri Lankan society? While all the films do not necessarily deal with the aftermath of the conflict between the Sri Lankan State and the Tamils, they do in some ways reflect the tensions of a multi-ethnic society where equal rights of citizenship is not always an entitlement. While Ennakum Oru Per (I too have a Voice) (Fiction) and White Van Stories (non-fiction), are set in the context of the ethnic conflict between the Tamils and Sinhalas, Ingirunthu (Fiction) deals with the struggles that the upcountry Tamil plantation workers have been through, in order to be recognized as equal citizens of Sri Lanka.
Ennakum Oru Per is a short film which deals with the story of two women who are trying to get over the memory of their violet past, and look towards a different future. White Van Stories is a documentary feature, which takes an unsparing look at the enforced disappearances in Sri Lanka orchestrated by the Sri Lankan State against those questioning perpetrators of violence. Ingirunthu, which is part fiction, part documentary, part historical construction is a moving portrayal of the upcountry Tamil plantation community in Sri Lanka, and an account of their lives, history and political struggles.
While the three films in this curation are set in the background of ethnic and political conflict, the aesthetic choices that each of the filmmakers have made to express themselves, set the films apart. By using their distinct style and voice, each filmmaker in this curationembarks upon asearch for questions around citizenship and an interrogation of what constitutes a just society, through their films.
Subasri Krishnan
