The two films are Thunwenno (The Third Generation) based on the experiences of youth in Dehiattakandiya, a Mahaweli settlement in the Eastern Province and Wanaspathi Uruma Laddo (The Inheritors of the Jungle) based on the experiences of youth in Dambana, a village of indigenous people in the Uva Province. The Colombo Institute invited the group present to express ideas not only to initiate a discussion but also as a means of further improving the third film they are set to produce in Aludeniya in the upcoming months. The discussion was facilitated by Ranjith Perera of the Social Scientists’ Association and the Civil Rights Movement and the film directors and producers responded to key ideas presented by members of the audience.

Ideas expressed about Wanaspathi Uruma Laddo included thoughts on how the traditional and transitional cultural facets had been woven into the film, the insights into gender relations among the indigenous groups made possible through the imagery etc. Thunwenno generated a discussion on if the film captured something unique to the particular community that is being portrayed and if the ‘real’ issues of the community were highlighted. A question was also raised regarding the link between the photography workshops conducted with the youth and the films produced. The directors and producers took the opportunity to respond to some of the comments. Clarifications regarding the nature of the link of the films to the photographs taken by the youth, the democratic process through which selection of themes was done for portrayal and some of the issues faced in editing the film to suit the preferences of the particular communities were made by those involved in the productions.

The second workshop was held on 10th and 11th of May 2008. By this time, the participants had already taken the photos. The photos themselves narrated multiple stories that depicted the different perspectives of the participants. A dominant theme was the natural beauty of their surroundings and their sense of cultural identity as manifested through the framing of the images as well as related conversations.

selecting photos to develop a narrative

Looking at individual pictures as well as the entire series taken by each participant, Piyal Kariyawasam supported the participants to pick 10 or 15 pictures that would build a particular story that they wanted to narrate. This exercise progressed through a number of interconnected steps.

Visual artist and drama set designer Pradeep Chandrasiri who was also part of the Colombo Institute team helped in the process. In addition, he played the key role in selecting the best pictures from each participant to be used at the scheduled exhibition of the works presented as part of the workshop and film making process.

youth with cameras

In addition, ten copies of extra reading material on photography compiled specially for the course and two copies of a book on cinema and society were distributed as additional reading material.

At the conclusion of the project, the cameras and texts will be handed over to local community centers including the Adi Vasi Cultural Center in Dambana and to the library to be used by interested persons. The participants also saw the film ‘Gods Must be Crazy’ during these sessions.

As the second component of the course, dramatist Piyal Kariyawasam conducted the workshop on creative writing and script writing.

wasantha speaks during discussion on interpreting images

The group engaged in interpreting images in order to write a script and at the end of the two day session, were asked to take a series of photos that depicted some aspect of their lives. The photos will be the basis of the script they develop.

On April 4th 2008, a team of Colombo institute members visited the Adi Vasi Community leader, Vanniyeletto and briefed him on the progress of the first workshop and showed him the images of the workshop in progress. This is in response to a request made by him to be kept informed of activities.

meeting adivasi chief to report progress of project

member of the adivasi community at the community center

Since these preliminary events and after an initial survey trip to Dambana in February 2008, Colombo Institute received permission from the Adi Vasi community leaders, particularly from its Chief Vanniyeletto to carry out the program in the community. The Colombo Institute organized its first full session on basics of photography and an introduction to scriptwriting and creative writing on 21st and 22nd of March.

At the ground level, coordination is handled by Mr. Vasantha Senevirathne, originally from Dambana and now living in Mahiyangana while maintaining kinship and other social linkages with the village. The participants included 12 youths from Dambana including young teachers from the Dambana Junior School where the sessions were held, and ten students from the nearby Mahiyangana area on the request of Mr. Pethum Jayasundara, an education officer in the region.

The usual educational prerequisite for the course (GCE - AL) as implemented in Dehiattakandiya and later in Aludeniya had to be made more flexible as a result of requests made by community leaders and the ground situation as very few would have been able to attend from the Dambana area if the AL requirement were strictly enforced. However, the relaxing of educational requirements did not hamper the progress of the work. It simply opened more opportunities to young people who were genuinely interested in photography and filming.

the lake

The second site selected for making a documentary film is Dambana in the Uva Province. This particular village is mostly inhabited by Adi Vasis or Veddas, the indigenous people of Sri Lanka. Given the Institute’s interest in youth and multiculturalism within the film series, this endeavor is meant to focus on how youth in this particular community deal with such issues in their day to day practices and how notions of identity, the ‘other’ and cultural practices manifest in day-today practices.

Seminar with Vedda chief at University of Colombo