Film Forum

The Film Forum curated by Anomaa Rajakaruna is a monthly pre-view format for film makers and industry professionals to view unreleased, new Sri Lankan feature and short films together. The screenings are followed by an open discussion with the film makers and other professionals moderated by Anomaa Rajakaruna.

The November Film Forum presents:

(NOT SO) GREENER PASTURES
(59"| 2023| Documentary |Timor-Leste,Singapore,Sri Lanka)
by Udan Fernando

Followed by a discussion with Dr. Pavithra Jayawardena and
Dr. Krishantha Fedricks.

Synopsis:
Four young men, hailing from the four corners of Sri Lanka, leave behind the country’s conflict-ridden shores at the turn of the new century to rebuild their lives in an unusual destination and lesser-known country -Timor-Leste. Driven by personal aspirations as much as the war, they seek to rebuild their lives amongst the ruins of Timor Leste, a country in the shadows of a long-drawn history of colonialism, occupation, and conflict. Nearly twenty years on, the four men recount their - at times - harrowing journeys to gain a foothold in an obscure “greener pasture”, highlighting their camaraderie and the underlying tensions in relationships, the everyday struggles of living in dissonance and the seemingly random events that unexpectedly shape their lives. Interspersed with insights into Timor Leste’s history of conflict, the documentary presents as outsiders, how these domiciled individuals anchored themselves in a new land by navigating and negotiating a scarred political and economic terrain not dissimilar to what they chose to leave behind.