UPCOMING: REPUBLIC OF AMNESIA
Directed by Kannan Arunasalam
Co-Production between Retold World and Shadow Court Films
‘Republic of Amnesia’ is a documentary film that follows the rise and fall of Sri Lanka's Aragalaya movement (or “struggle”) — the non- violent, popular protest movement that forced Sri Lanka's authoritarian president, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, to step down and flee the country in 2022 — alongside some of the central activists. The film follows Buwanaka, as he joins forces with Melani, Jeana, and Chamara to form ‘The 420’, as they organise, lead marches, get arrested, fall in love and fight on the streets for a more inclusive future, with social, historical and economic context from experts. Can the activists’ fight against a powerful dynasty overcome a system determined to prevail?
Upcoming: POSSIBLE LANDSCAPES
Directed by Kannan Arunasalam
Co-Production with Natalie Melas (Cornell University) and Tao Sule DuFour (University of Cambridge)
A feature documentary directed by Kannan Arunasalam and produced and conceptualised by Tao DuFour and Natalie Melas.
Possible Landscapes joins seven people in seven different regions of the Caribbean islands of Trinidad and Tobago in the course of their daily lives: Kevin, a fisherman on the east coast suffering the recent loss of one of his crew members at sea; four generations of the Josephs family in the steep hillsides of the northern range; Captain ‘Spaceman’ Philips and his glass-bottomed boat in Tobago from which he has witnessed the decline of the coral reefs; Crystal, a trade unionist active in supporting workers who lost their jobs when a major oil refinery was closed; Romulas, known as the “last sugar cane farmer” in the central plains and his Venezuelan workers; Stephanie a nurse who worked in the oil fields in the south starting just after World War II; Tony, originally from Jamaica, a climate change analyst, agriculturalist and rabbit farmer in St Joseph.
SRI LANKA’S REBEL WIFE
Directed by Kannan Arunasalam
Commissioned by Al Jazeera Witness
‘Sri Lanka’s Rebel Wife’ premiered at the Frontline Club, London before its broadcast on Al Jazeera’s flagship strand, Witness. Filmed over several years, the film follows the central character Ananthy in her search for answers about the disappearance of her Tamil Tiger husband at the end of the Sri Lankan civil war. The documentary went on to be shortlisted for best documentary film at the DIG investigative awards, Modena, Italy in 2022, alongside films from leading international broadcasters.
WE LOVE WE SELF UP HERE
Directed by Kannan Arunasalam
Co-Production with Natalie Melas (Cornell University) and Tao Sule DuFour (University of Cambridge)
‘We Love We Self Up Here’ is an experimental documentary film that explores narratives of lived experiences of urban, agricultural, and industrial landscapes tied to colonial and postcolonial legacies of sugar production and hydrocarbon extraction in Trinidad & Tobago. Completed in 2021, the film captures complex histories of labor and migration through the intimate stories of a few persons. The spaces of narration—domestic, neighborhood, and landscape—emerge as themselves “characters,” architectural and landscape witnesses to long processes of social and environmental change.
THE TENT
Directed by Kannan Arunasalam
Co-Commission supported by the British Council and Arts Council, England
‘The Tent’ is an immersive two channel film installation about a women-led protest in northern Sri Lanka. During the height of the conflict in Sri Lanka 1983 – 2009), tens of thousands ethnic Tamils disappeared. ‘The Tent’ focuses on some of the wives and mothers of the missing in Mullaitivu, in northern Sri Lanka where the war came to a brutal end. At the time of filming, the women’s protest took place for over a year. The film contrasts life on quiet days in the protest camp against footage of large crowds on anniversary days of consecutive protest. ‘The Tent’ becomes a metaphor for the world the protesting women inhabit; trapped between hope and grief. The film was shown at Kannan Arunasalam’s solo exhibitions at The Tetley, Leeds and at the South Gallery, University of Brighton (February – May 2019). ‘The Tent’ was a co-commission supported by the British Council and Arts Council England.
