Root recollections

Ruwini Jayawardana

At times the images recall Michael Ondaatje’s ‘Running in the Family’ or Shyam Selvadurai’s ‘Cinnamon Gardens’. At other moments you get the feeling what you might have undergone while listening to your grandfathers or grandmothers relating a particularly engaging story from their hey day.

‘The reader’ - I am Kandy

‘The Kandyan drummer’ - I am Kandy

‘The book lender’ - I am Galle

Chandra Schaffter The cricketer - I am Colombo

‘The chief priest’ - I am Jaffna

For Jaffna-born Kannan Arunasalam, it is a journey of personal exploration. Though he left his motherland at the age of five, and was educated in UK, his connection with his roots and the sense of belonging never faded away. This motivated the media and human rights lawyer to return to Sri Lanka in 2003 and begin work in projects involving new media, radio, photography and documentary. He has made a number of video portraits about resilience in Jaffna: ‘Koothu’, ‘Kerosene’ and ‘Paper’, which have been screened at international film festivals.

‘I am’ is one of his ground breaking ventures which is an oral story telling project narrating the recollections of 36 elders from Jaffna, Galle and Kandy. It is a search for identity and a piece of history relating to the individual’s life which sketches a bigger picture of the society, region and country during their times. They are tales from memory’s archives which they are now able to share with many others years ahead of their time. Information and videos about the series is available on https://www.facebook.com/iamprojectsrilanka and http://iam.lk

Q: How did you come up with the ‘I am’ concept?

A: The question which started me on my journey was the idea if there was a time when people described themselves only as Sinhala, Tamil, Muslim, Burgher etc.

I spoke to an anthropologist who told me that if you went back in time, they would probably describe themselves in different ways such as talking about their community, home town, livelihoods, and kith and kin. I relate to this aspect myself because I grew up in UK but was born in Jaffna and now living in Sri Lanka. Therefore I wanted to probe into this concept. ‘I am’ tried to encourage the audience to go out and capture their own stories. It could be from their family or their communities. I wanted to concentrate on elders - people who have lived a long life and those who are good story tellers.

One of the themes of ‘I am’ is identity. It is trying to focus on the fact that a person can have more than one identity. I want people to start thinking about this concept in a different manner that will bring communities together.

The oldest person I have met in this series is 105 years. He is the oldest man in Jaffna. I met him when he was performing a ‘thivasum’- a Hindu rite which you perform for a death anniversary. He had outlived one of his sons. He was working in Galle in the 1920s as a tobacco farmer. I wanted to keep a high age gap but it ranges from late 60s to 105 in this series.

I am presently occupied with the second series of ‘I am’. I want to try and focus on the people who are in their late 70s and above. I have decided to spotlight on Colombo and Batticaloa. I am very likely to concentrate on the South as my third region but I would like the viewers to suggest a suitable region for me.

Q: What are the areas you are particularly concerned about when you engage in the ‘I am’ projects?

A: ‘I am’ is a documentary from to a certain extent. It is using photographic stills and audios. I am looking for stories of resilience. These are universal themes so that people in all parts of the world and all walks of life can relate to them.

I did a piece on koothu, a group of youngsters doing a traditional form of street theatre in a contemporary manner to raise awareness about community issues in Jaffna. It actually started when the community was affected by leprosy. This method of sending the message related to the disease across has now turned into a means of sending other messages like those connected with alcoholism or education across.

Batticaloa is where koothu is born. The koothu found in Batticaloa will be a very traditional form of art. It is taught by elders there. I would definitely want to do a short documentary on that.

Q: What was your biggest challenge?

A: To make something powerful, you need to get to the heart of the story and also the emotional stakes. That is what links a character to a story. It is very difficult to get people to open up.

Since these are people who have been through terrible experiences, you would expect their stories to be full of emotions. I found it a challenge to locate that. You need to make them comfortable in front of a camera or mike, win their confidence and tell a story in a manner that is more than just a retelling of events. That takes time and patience.

The project is photographic stills and sounds. You need arresting photographs of the individual. Their stories need to be compelling. Both sectors in this multi media project have to be strong.

Q: Are documentaries made purely as awareness campaigns?

A: In Sri Lanka there is too much an emphasis on trying to inform but they can be purely observational. You need to allow the audience as far as you can to watch something, take away what they feel and make their own conclusions. . That is my favourite form of documentary.

Q: Your projects open many aspects to you, some which you might have not known about earlier. Where there any such instances which took you by surprise?

A: The human capacity to withstand all sorts of pressures in life fascinated me. They have been through so much over the years but they are so inspiring. Each of them had managed to use whatever experience they have gone through to do something extraordinary.

There was an elder from Kandy, the Reader, who told me how they were asked to write an essay on half an A4 paper at an exam. The story he told was linked to Jules Verne’s ‘Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea’. About 60 years later he is inspired by the teacher who taught him and encouraged him to read at such a young age. He wants to translate ‘Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea’ into Sinhala at 72! He also informed me that Bernard Shaw’s and Tolstoy’s works drove him into challenging the caste system in his community. The front verandas of his home used to house small stools for the lower caste to sit on. Those from the upper caste sat on higher chairs. Once he became an adult, he made it a point to see that everyone sat at the same level and were treated equally.

These stories are not earth shattering but embody the tenderness which I crave for in my work.

Q: Tell us about ‘I am’, the second series.

A: Colombo has a lot of interesting people because it is a cosmopolitan city. I have already started short listing names but still the suggestions keep coming in.

I have room for only 12 people from each region. I may have to add more to the list because there are so many from Colombo.

I have interviewed two people and the second series launches with them at the Colombo Art Biennale, held at the Park Street Mews from February 15 to 19. Sri Lanka’s infamous story teller Dr Lester James Peries and Chandra Schaffter, who opened bowling for the country in 1954 and managed the Sri Lankan cricket team, are featured at the event from the second ‘I am’ series. Favourites from the first series will also be screened.

Batticaloa encompasses a rich tapestry of communities. Apart from the Muslims and Tamils, there are a small Kaffir and vedda communities there. I am trying to take the audience on my journey, tweeting and commenting on Facebook. Both ‘I am’ series are sponsored by the American Centre.

Action and animation

‘Contraband’ involves the smuggling of a vast quantity of counterfeit $100 bills from Panama City to New Orleans. Although Chris Farraday (Mark Wahlberg), the would-be smuggler, prefers not to deal with drugs, wouldn't you know several kilos of cocaine get mixed in with the deal. The film is based on an Icelandic thriller named ‘Reykjavik-Rotterdam,’ which leads you to suspect that neither New Orleans nor Panama City is particularly essential to the plot. ‘Contraband’ is an entertaining, fast-paced thriller with good performances by a fine cast comprising Mark Wahlberg and Kate Beckinsale. It is directed by Baltasar Kormákur.

‘Puss In Boots’, one of the most beloved characters of the ‘Shrek’ universe - tells the hilarious and courageous tale of Puss's early adventures as he teams with mastermind Humpty Dumpty and the street-savvy Kitty to steal the famed goose that lays the Golden Eggs.

There are betrayals and double-crosses galore, rattling chases and swish sword fights, fleeting visual gags, mischievous verbal jokes and, best of all, a frisky flamenco dance-off between Puss and Kitty that will leave the viewer purring with pleasure. ‘Contraband’ is screening at Majestic cinema’s Platinum theatre and Liberty Lite cinema. ‘Puss in Boots’ will begin unspooling at Majestic cinema’s Superior 3D from February 3.

‘Veerya’: Weerasiri’s second movie

Renowned producer and film-maker Sunil Aruna Weerasiri who directed the children's movie 'Tikiri Suwanda' began work on his latest cinematic venture recently. Titled 'Veerya' the movie stars Sriyani Amarasena, Jagath Chamila, Sheshadri Priyasad, Rodney Warnakula, Anton Jude, Lucky Dias, Niroshan Wijeratne, Kumara Thirimadura, Ramya Vanigasekara, Duleeka Marapana and many others in significant roles. Parliamentarian Ruwan Wijewardene and MP Mervyn Silva graced the muhurath ceremony of the event. Shooting will start in March. 'Veerya' is Weerasiri's fourth production.

- RJ

Stars on stamps

Six postal stamps were launched as a part of the 65th anniversary celebrations of Sinhala cinema. The portraits of six individuals who have done immense service to the local cinema industry adorned the stamps.

Gamini Fonseka, Malini Fonseka, Joe Abeywickrama, Eddy Jayamanna, Titus Thotawatte and Sandya Kumari’s figures were imprinted on the stamps. Many prominent figures in the cinema scene graced the occasion.

The chief guests were Postal Services Minister Jeewan Kumaratunga, Dr Lester James Peries and Sumitra Peries.

- RJ