Features
Sci-fi action with deeper themes of racism and prejudice
Screamfest Best Short Film – ‘Vikaari’
By Sajitha Prematunge
The Sri Lankan produced short film ‘Vikaari’ won the Best Short Film award at the 20th annual Screamfest Horror Film Festival held in Hollywood, California, from October 6 to 15. WatchWorthy went behind the scenes of ‘Vikaari’ with Co-Writer, Producer and Director Sandun Seneviratne.
Known as the Sundance of horror, Screamfest is the largest and longest running horror film festival in the United States. Considered one of the best genre festivals in the world, it entertains horror, sci-fi and thriller films and screenplays. Cult classics such as ‘The Grudge’ and ‘Paranormal Activity’ premiered at Screamfest. This year’s Screamfest was a drive-in affair, showcasing the works of 91 independent filmmakers in the course of its 10-day series, including 83 short film directors, 67 short film producers, 11 feature film directors, and 13 feature film producers. Top movies, filmmakers, actors and screenplays for the year 2020 were awarded during the festival’s closing night on Thursday, October 15.
‘Vikaari’ was the first ever Sri Lankan produced movie accepted for screening at the festival and the award was a pleasant bonus for Co-Writer, Producer and Director Sandun Seneviratne. It clinched the Best Short Film award, beating 62 other, mostly US and European short films. Sandun Seneviratne explained that although there are many festivals in the circuit, it’s difficult to get selected for screening at a top-rated festival, let alone win an award. “I consider it not just a personal achievement, but one for the country,” said Seneviratne. ‘Vikaari’ has been selected for screening at the Lund International Fantastic Film Festival, in Sweden, at the end of the month.
The story of ‘Vikaari’ was conceived some 20 years ago. “In fact it was my first script,” said Seneviratne. The screenplay was co-written with Charlie Bray, his classmate from London Film Academy, adapted to the current context. The duo attended London Film Academy from 2006 to 2009.
Seneviratne describes ‘Vikaari’ as not ‘horror’ per se, but a sci-fi action-drama. He admitted that sci-fi is his forte and most of his previous projects are also of the sci-fi action drama genre. He was exposed to science fiction at an early age, when he was introduced to the works of Sir Arthur C. Clarke in his father’s library. Other than Clarke, Seneviratne was inspired by Isaac Asimov and Frank Herbert, whose ‘Dune’, the movie adaptation of which will be out soon, made quite an impression on Seneviratne.
Hollywood mutant movie franchises no doubt influenced the film’s makers to favour the title ‘Vikaari’, derived from the Sanskrit meaning of the word: ‘change’ or ‘an entity that can change. The film revolves around the births of a new generation of children with a similar set of disabilities, bordering on the supernatural, in countries devastated by war. Although the phenomenon sparks worldwide panic, ‘Vikaari’ focuses on the political and cultural turmoil brought on by the advent of the Vikaari in Sri Lanka, pushing the nation towards the brink of another violent conflict, just after the end of a three-decade long war. Some want to eliminate the ‘Vikaari’ while others have ulterior motives for wanting to keep them.
True to the genre, the kaleidoscope of visuals imbues the ‘Vikaari’ trailer with a ‘Blair Witch Project’-kind of eeriness. The soundtrack, reminiscent of the menacing ping in ‘Life’ and one that precedes the calm before all hell breaks lose in ‘Annihilation’, firmly establishes it in the sci-fi genre, while Robert Dee Richards’ very convincing Prof. David Hameroff provides it a documentary-style credibility. However, ‘Vikaari’ is not mere science fantasy. It deals with more socially relevant subject matter and deeper underlying themes such as racism and the cost of prejudice.
Most of ‘Vikaari’ was shot in Sri Lanka, while some sequences were shot in the UK. Written and directed by Seneviratne and Charlie Bray the film and stars Ashan Dias, Bimsara Premaratne and British actor Robert Dee Richards in leading roles along with a host of other Sri Lankan actors. Most of the movie is in English with some of the Sinhala dialogue accompanied by English subtitles.
Seneviratne has been making short films for nearly two decades and has a bank of stories he hopes to make into movies. His big breakthrough was Sri Lanka’s first big budget sci-fi web series ‘Seer: Death sight’. The 2007 short film revolved around a psychic hit man, in an apocalyptic future, who was trained to treat everything between him and his target as collateral. But his life is turned topsy-turvy when he meets a little girl. Seer: Death sight, in short film form was screened at many prestigious genre film festivals including The Phoenix Comic Con film festival, Intl Sci-FI and Fantasy Film Festival of Athens and Fantastic Planet: Sydney.
“The language of film-making is very easy, you shoot, get a few close-ups and piece them together and you have a movie. What’s difficult is making a good film,” said Seneviratne, which, according to him, took him a lifetime of study, experience and experimentation. Seneviratne hopes to locally produce Hollywood-inspired feature films that can compete in the international market in terms of production value and storytelling. “But it’s difficult to find resources for and finance them in Sri Lanka,” said Seneviratne, when asked why he has not yet made a feature-length film.
He finances his own films and many in the ‘Vikaari’ team was very understanding and supportive. The Vikaari child actors Nethuli Adihetti, Nithila Goonetilleke and Thinuga Adihetti also gave the audiences a run for their money. “Of course you can’t live off film-making in Sri Lanka,” said Seneviratne who runs his own business. He is the Director of Louvre International School in Nugegoda and Pannipitiya. “It’s difficult to maintain a large film industry in Sri Lanka, considering the small population, but the local film industry is doing the best it can, specially in the art house genre, although we’re lagging behind on commercial movies of international calibre.” Seneviratne hopes that upcoming young local film-makers can change that.
When asked what obstacles there are for a Sri Lankan to break into the international film industry, Seneviratne said, “It just never been done before.” But he explained that with platforms such as YouTube and internet usage being amongst the highest in the region, reaching audiences has ceased to be a challenge. Not to mention that such social media platforms take bureaucratic red tape, of getting a full-length movie approved, out of the equation. “Technology is improving and movie-making is becoming cheaper by the day. You can make a movie on your phone, which I did during the lockdown.” He pointed out that even visual effects are getting cheaper. But are they on par with that of Hollywood? “Yes, they are getting there.” in fact some of the visual effects for ‘Vikaari’ were done by a Sri Lankan company called ApexDfx.
However, will Sri Lankan artists, who’ve been heavily influenced by Indian cinema and soap opera, notorious for over-acting, hype and melodrama, be disciplined enough to pull off a Hollywood-level movie? “There’s nothing wrong with being influenced by different film cultures. It’s what you want to do that matters.” However, he explained that the art house film culture in Sri Lanka is very much influenced by Russian cinema. “Tarkovsky type of very abstract art house film-making, in particular,” pointed out Seneviratne.
“Besides, it’s not really a matter of discipline. It’s a matter of talent.” Seneviratne explained that such an acting style is encouraged in the way that Sri Lankan artistes are trained. “Our way of acting is different to that of Hollywood. It’s just a matter of bridging the two styles. It’s not like our actors are not talented and as long as you’re working with talented people, you can talk to them and mould them into what you want.”
But would Sri Lankan audiences, whose taste have been shaped by such influences accept such movies made by Sri Lankans, when there is already a proliferation of Hollywood originals in the market? He said that although he hopes that the movie would have a global reach, he also hopes that it will be embraced by Sri Lankan audiences. His idea of film is truly international, employing both eastern and western characters, set mainly in the Asian region. “People watched films like ‘Black Panther’ and ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ irrespective of location they were set in and who was acting. As long as it’s a good entertaining story, it will sell. He cited ‘Parasite’ as a good example for an Asian movie that was able to tap into the international market. “Besides science fantasy like superhero movies are in vogue, it’s hard to believe that somebody even in a remote corner of India or an island like Sri Lanka would not be able to identify with them.”
He said that sci-fi and action translate well across borders because one does not need to be able to understand the language in an action movie to be able to make sense of it and enjoy it. Although he opined that sci-fi and action share a universal language, few local science fiction have, in either book or movie form, gained international or even regional recognition. Seneviratne begged to differ, pointing out that Sri Lankan science fiction is gradually gaining momentum. “Amanda Jay for example, won the 2017 Fairway National Literary Award for her ‘The Other One'” Seneviratne identified Navin Weeraratne and Yudanjaya Wijeratne as two other promising science fiction writers. “Local sci-fi movies have not gained global or regional recognition, but that’s not a dilemma specific to Sri Lanka. In fact, only Hollywood can pull it off. It can’t be the huge budgets, because the budgets of Chinese movies are almost equal to those of Hollywood movies and their box office is likely to overtake Hollywood within five years, but they are virtually unheard of outside their country.”
He explained that the same applies to Bollywood films. “They are a multi-billion dollar industry, a close second to Hollywood. But again they are not very popular outside the Asian region.” Seneviratne opined that it’s all in the story telling. “There’s something in the way that Hollywood tells a story that appeals to mass audiences. If you master that art of story-telling, that’s half the battle.
by Dr Gotabhya Ranasinghe
Senior Consultant Cardiologist
National Hospital Sri Lanka
When we sought a meeting with Hon Dr. Ramesh Pathirana, Minister of Health, he graciously cleared his busy schedule to accommodate us. Renowned for his attentive listening and deep understanding, Minister Pathirana is dedicated to advancing the health sector. His openness and transparency exemplify the qualities of an exemplary politician and minister.
Dr. Palitha Mahipala, the current Health Secretary, demonstrates both commendable enthusiasm and unwavering support. This combination of attributes makes him a highly compatible colleague for the esteemed Minister of Health.
Our discussion centered on a project that has been in the works for the past 30 years, one that no other minister had managed to advance.
Minister Pathirana, however, recognized the project’s significance and its potential to revolutionize care for heart patients.
The project involves the construction of a state-of-the-art facility at the premises of the National Hospital Colombo. The project’s location within the premises of the National Hospital underscores its importance and relevance to the healthcare infrastructure of the nation.
This facility will include a cardiology building and a tertiary care center, equipped with the latest technology to handle and treat all types of heart-related conditions and surgeries.
Securing funding was a major milestone for this initiative. Minister Pathirana successfully obtained approval for a $40 billion loan from the Asian Development Bank. With the funding in place, the foundation stone is scheduled to be laid in September this year, and construction will begin in January 2025.
This project guarantees a consistent and uninterrupted supply of stents and related medications for heart patients. As a result, patients will have timely access to essential medical supplies during their treatment and recovery. By securing these critical resources, the project aims to enhance patient outcomes, minimize treatment delays, and maintain the highest standards of cardiac care.
Upon its fruition, this monumental building will serve as a beacon of hope and healing, symbolizing the unwavering dedication to improving patient outcomes and fostering a healthier society.We anticipate a future marked by significant progress and positive outcomes in Sri Lanka’s cardiovascular treatment landscape within the foreseeable timeframe.
by Fr. Emmanuel Fernando, OMI
Jesuit Fr. Aloysius Pieris (affectionately called Fr. Aloy) celebrated his 90th birthday on April 9, 2024 and I, as the editor of our Oblate Journal, THE MISSIONARY OBLATE had gone to press by that time. Immediately I decided to publish an article, appreciating the untiring selfless services he continues to offer for inter-Faith dialogue, the renewal of the Catholic Church, his concern for the poor and the suffering Sri Lankan masses and to me, the present writer.
It was in 1988, when I was appointed Director of the Oblate Scholastics at Ampitiya by the then Oblate Provincial Fr. Anselm Silva, that I came to know Fr. Aloy more closely. Knowing well his expertise in matters spiritual, theological, Indological and pastoral, and with the collaborative spirit of my companion-formators, our Oblate Scholastics were sent to Tulana, the Research and Encounter Centre, Kelaniya, of which he is the Founder-Director, for ‘exposure-programmes’ on matters spiritual, biblical, theological and pastoral. Some of these dimensions according to my view and that of my companion-formators, were not available at the National Seminary, Ampitiya.
Ever since that time, our Oblate formators/ accompaniers at the Oblate Scholasticate, Ampitiya , have continued to send our Oblate Scholastics to Tulana Centre for deepening their insights and convictions regarding matters needed to serve the people in today’s context. Fr. Aloy also had tried very enthusiastically with the Oblate team headed by Frs. Oswald Firth and Clement Waidyasekara to begin a Theologate, directed by the Religious Congregations in Sri Lanka, for the contextual formation/ accompaniment of their members. It should very well be a desired goal of the Leaders / Provincials of the Religious Congregations.
Besides being a formator/accompanier at the Oblate Scholasticate, I was entrusted also with the task of editing and publishing our Oblate journal, ‘The Missionary Oblate’. To maintain the quality of the journal I continue to depend on Fr. Aloy for his thought-provoking and stimulating articles on Biblical Spirituality, Biblical Theology and Ecclesiology. I am very grateful to him for his generous assistance. Of late, his writings on renewal of the Church, initiated by Pope St. John XX111 and continued by Pope Francis through the Synodal path, published in our Oblate journal, enable our readers to focus their attention also on the needed renewal in the Catholic Church in Sri Lanka. Fr. Aloy appreciated very much the Synodal path adopted by the Jesuit Pope Francis for the renewal of the Church, rooted very much on prayerful discernment. In my Religious and presbyteral life, Fr.Aloy continues to be my spiritual animator / guide and ongoing formator / acccompanier.
Fr. Aloysius Pieris, BA Hons (Lond), LPh (SHC, India), STL (PFT, Naples), PhD (SLU/VC), ThD (Tilburg), D.Ltt (KU), has been one of the eminent Asian theologians well recognized internationally and one who has lectured and held visiting chairs in many universities both in the West and in the East. Many members of Religious Congregations from Asian countries have benefited from his lectures and guidance in the East Asian Pastoral Institute (EAPI) in Manila, Philippines. He had been a Theologian consulted by the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences for many years. During his professorship at the Gregorian University in Rome, he was called to be a member of a special group of advisers on other religions consulted by Pope Paul VI.
Fr. Aloy is the author of more than 30 books and well over 500 Research Papers. Some of his books and articles have been translated and published in several countries. Among those books, one can find the following: 1) The Genesis of an Asian Theology of Liberation (An Autobiographical Excursus on the Art of Theologising in Asia, 2) An Asian Theology of Liberation, 3) Providential Timeliness of Vatican 11 (a long-overdue halt to a scandalous millennium, 4) Give Vatican 11 a chance, 5) Leadership in the Church, 6) Relishing our faith in working for justice (Themes for study and discussion), 7) A Message meant mainly, not exclusively for Jesuits (Background information necessary for helping Francis renew the Church), 8) Lent in Lanka (Reflections and Resolutions, 9) Love meets wisdom (A Christian Experience of Buddhism, 10) Fire and Water 11) God’s Reign for God’s poor, 12) Our Unhiddden Agenda (How we Jesuits work, pray and form our men). He is also the Editor of two journals, Vagdevi, Journal of Religious Reflection and Dialogue, New Series.
Fr. Aloy has a BA in Pali and Sanskrit from the University of London and a Ph.D in Buddhist Philosophy from the University of Sri Lankan, Vidyodaya Campus. On Nov. 23, 2019, he was awarded the prestigious honorary Doctorate of Literature (D.Litt) by the Chancellor of the University of Kelaniya, the Most Venerable Welamitiyawe Dharmakirthi Sri Kusala Dhamma Thera.
Fr. Aloy continues to be a promoter of Gospel values and virtues. Justice as a constitutive dimension of love and social concern for the downtrodden masses are very much noted in his life and work. He had very much appreciated the commitment of the late Fr. Joseph (Joe) Fernando, the National Director of the Social and Economic Centre (SEDEC) for the poor.
In Sri Lanka, a few religious Congregations – the Good Shepherd Sisters, the Christian Brothers, the Marist Brothers and the Oblates – have invited him to animate their members especially during their Provincial Congresses, Chapters and International Conferences. The mainline Christian Churches also have sought his advice and followed his seminars. I, for one, regret very much, that the Sri Lankan authorities of the Catholic Church –today’s Hierarchy—- have not sought Fr.
Aloy’s expertise for the renewal of the Catholic Church in Sri Lanka and thus have not benefited from the immense store of wisdom and insight that he can offer to our local Church while the Sri Lankan bishops who governed the Catholic church in the immediate aftermath of the Second Vatican Council (Edmund Fernando OMI, Anthony de Saram, Leo Nanayakkara OSB, Frank Marcus Fernando, Paul Perera,) visited him and consulted him on many matters. Among the Tamil Bishops, Bishop Rayappu Joseph was keeping close contact with him and Bishop J. Deogupillai hosted him and his team visiting him after the horrible Black July massacre of Tamils.
Sri Lanka-Singapore Free Trade Agreement
By Gomi Senadhira
senadhiragomi@gmail.com
“You might tell fairy tales, but the progress of a country cannot be achieved through such narratives. A country cannot be developed by making false promises. The country moved backward because of the electoral promises made by political parties throughout time. We have witnessed that the ultimate result of this is the country becoming bankrupt. Unfortunately, many segments of the population have not come to realize this yet.” – President Ranil Wickremesinghe, 2024 Budget speech
Any Sri Lankan would agree with the above words of President Wickremesinghe on the false promises our politicians and officials make and the fairy tales they narrate which bankrupted this country. So, to understand this, let’s look at one such fairy tale with lots of false promises; Ranil Wickremesinghe’s greatest achievement in the area of international trade and investment promotion during the Yahapalana period, Sri Lanka-Singapore Free Trade Agreement (SLSFTA).
It is appropriate and timely to do it now as Finance Minister Wickremesinghe has just presented to parliament a bill on the National Policy on Economic Transformation which includes the establishment of an Office for International Trade and the Sri Lanka Institute of Economics and International Trade.
Was SLSFTA a “Cleverly negotiated Free Trade Agreement” as stated by the (former) Minister of Development Strategies and International Trade Malik Samarawickrama during the Parliamentary Debate on the SLSFTA in July 2018, or a colossal blunder covered up with lies, false promises, and fairy tales? After SLSFTA was signed there were a number of fairy tales published on this agreement by the Ministry of Development Strategies and International, Institute of Policy Studies, and others.
However, for this article, I would like to limit my comments to the speech by Minister Samarawickrama during the Parliamentary Debate, and the two most important areas in the agreement which were covered up with lies, fairy tales, and false promises, namely: revenue loss for Sri Lanka and Investment from Singapore. On the other important area, “Waste products dumping” I do not want to comment here as I have written extensively on the issue.
1. The revenue loss
During the Parliamentary Debate in July 2018, Minister Samarawickrama stated “…. let me reiterate that this FTA with Singapore has been very cleverly negotiated by us…. The liberalisation programme under this FTA has been carefully designed to have the least impact on domestic industry and revenue collection. We have included all revenue sensitive items in the negative list of items which will not be subject to removal of tariff. Therefore, 97.8% revenue from Customs duty is protected. Our tariff liberalisation will take place over a period of 12-15 years! In fact, the revenue earned through tariffs on goods imported from Singapore last year was Rs. 35 billion.
The revenue loss for over the next 15 years due to the FTA is only Rs. 733 million– which when annualised, on average, is just Rs. 51 million. That is just 0.14% per year! So anyone who claims the Singapore FTA causes revenue loss to the Government cannot do basic arithmetic! Mr. Speaker, in conclusion, I call on my fellow members of this House – don’t mislead the public with baseless criticism that is not grounded in facts. Don’t look at petty politics and use these issues for your own political survival.”
I was surprised to read the minister’s speech because an article published in January 2018 in “The Straits Times“, based on information released by the Singaporean Negotiators stated, “…. With the FTA, tariff savings for Singapore exports are estimated to hit $10 million annually“.
As the annual tariff savings (that is the revenue loss for Sri Lanka) calculated by the Singaporean Negotiators, Singaporean $ 10 million (Sri Lankan rupees 1,200 million in 2018) was way above the rupees’ 733 million revenue loss for 15 years estimated by the Sri Lankan negotiators, it was clear to any observer that one of the parties to the agreement had not done the basic arithmetic!
Six years later, according to a report published by “The Morning” newspaper, speaking at the Committee on Public Finance (COPF) on 7th May 2024, Mr Samarawickrama’s chief trade negotiator K.J. Weerasinghehad had admitted “…. that forecasted revenue loss for the Government of Sri Lanka through the Singapore FTA is Rs. 450 million in 2023 and Rs. 1.3 billion in 2024.”
If these numbers are correct, as tariff liberalisation under the SLSFTA has just started, we will pass Rs 2 billion very soon. Then, the question is how Sri Lanka’s trade negotiators made such a colossal blunder. Didn’t they do their basic arithmetic? If they didn’t know how to do basic arithmetic they should have at least done their basic readings. For example, the headline of the article published in The Straits Times in January 2018 was “Singapore, Sri Lanka sign FTA, annual savings of $10m expected”.
Anyway, as Sri Lanka’s chief negotiator reiterated at the COPF meeting that “…. since 99% of the tariffs in Singapore have zero rates of duty, Sri Lanka has agreed on 80% tariff liberalisation over a period of 15 years while expecting Singapore investments to address the imbalance in trade,” let’s turn towards investment.
Investment from Singapore
In July 2018, speaking during the Parliamentary Debate on the FTA this is what Minister Malik Samarawickrama stated on investment from Singapore, “Already, thanks to this FTA, in just the past two-and-a-half months since the agreement came into effect we have received a proposal from Singapore for investment amounting to $ 14.8 billion in an oil refinery for export of petroleum products. In addition, we have proposals for a steel manufacturing plant for exports ($ 1 billion investment), flour milling plant ($ 50 million), sugar refinery ($ 200 million). This adds up to more than $ 16.05 billion in the pipeline on these projects alone.
And all of these projects will create thousands of more jobs for our people. In principle approval has already been granted by the BOI and the investors are awaiting the release of land the environmental approvals to commence the project.
I request the Opposition and those with vested interests to change their narrow-minded thinking and join us to develop our country. We must always look at what is best for the whole community, not just the few who may oppose. We owe it to our people to courageously take decisions that will change their lives for the better.”
According to the media report I quoted earlier, speaking at the Committee on Public Finance (COPF) Chief Negotiator Weerasinghe has admitted that Sri Lanka was not happy with overall Singapore investments that have come in the past few years in return for the trade liberalisation under the Singapore-Sri Lanka Free Trade Agreement. He has added that between 2021 and 2023 the total investment from Singapore had been around $162 million!
What happened to those projects worth $16 billion negotiated, thanks to the SLSFTA, in just the two-and-a-half months after the agreement came into effect and approved by the BOI? I do not know about the steel manufacturing plant for exports ($ 1 billion investment), flour milling plant ($ 50 million) and sugar refinery ($ 200 million).
However, story of the multibillion-dollar investment in the Petroleum Refinery unfolded in a manner that would qualify it as the best fairy tale with false promises presented by our politicians and the officials, prior to 2019 elections.
Though many Sri Lankans got to know, through the media which repeatedly highlighted a plethora of issues surrounding the project and the questionable credentials of the Singaporean investor, the construction work on the Mirrijiwela Oil Refinery along with the cement factory began on the24th of March 2019 with a bang and Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and his ministers along with the foreign and local dignitaries laid the foundation stones.
That was few months before the 2019 Presidential elections. Inaugurating the construction work Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said the projects will create thousands of job opportunities in the area and surrounding districts.
The oil refinery, which was to be built over 200 acres of land, with the capacity to refine 200,000 barrels of crude oil per day, was to generate US$7 billion of exports and create 1,500 direct and 3,000 indirect jobs. The construction of the refinery was to be completed in 44 months. Four years later, in August 2023 the Cabinet of Ministers approved the proposal presented by President Ranil Wickremesinghe to cancel the agreement with the investors of the refinery as the project has not been implemented! Can they explain to the country how much money was wasted to produce that fairy tale?
It is obvious that the President, ministers, and officials had made huge blunders and had deliberately misled the public and the parliament on the revenue loss and potential investment from SLSFTA with fairy tales and false promises.
As the president himself said, a country cannot be developed by making false promises or with fairy tales and these false promises and fairy tales had bankrupted the country. “Unfortunately, many segments of the population have not come to realize this yet”.
(The writer, a specialist and an activist on trade and development issues . )
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