Sinamkol

Sinamkol is a 2020 Tamil-language drama film directed by Ranjith Joseph and starring Aravindhan. It is a Sri Lankan-Indian co-production.

Sinamkol
Directed by	Ranjith Joseph
Produced by	Raja Jayakulasingham Karikalan Gayathiri Ranjith Bakialakhmi Venkatesh
Written by	Theepachelvan Ranjith Joseph
Based on	Aftermath of Sri Lankan Civil War
Starring	Aravindhan Narvini Dery Ravishangar Leelawathy Sinthar Athith Mathumathi
Music by	N. R. Raghunanthan
Cinematography	M R Palanikumaar
Edited by	Arunachalam Sivalingam
Production company	Skymagic Pictures Bakialakhmi Talkies
Release date	4 January 2020
Running time	121 minutes
Country	India Sri Lanka
Language	Tamil

Cast

• Aravindhan
• Narvini Dery Ravishangar
• Leelawathy
• Sinthar Athith
• Mathumathi

Production

The film is about the change that Jaffna has undergone in the past ten years.[1] The film was shot in northern and eastern Sri Lanka.[2] Other than three cast members, most of the cast are newcomers.[3] The film was in the making for the past ten years.[4] The film was shot in Jaffna and Mullaitivu.[5] The film was shot in places affected by the Sri Lankan civil war.[6] Much of the crew members are Sinhalese and the film was funded by Tamilians living abroad.[7] The film is about a militant who is released from a Sinhalese controlled prison and returns to his motherland.[8]

Development

The story of Amudhan was born on the runway at Pearson International Airport in Toronto. I was on the same runway in 1993 – 24 years earlier when an older generation of Boeing landed in Toronto with family - we were refugees fleeing a painful and brutal war. The journey paved the way to explore my experiences, those of my family, the impact of war on Tamils in Sri Lanka and throughout the world. This is the inspiration for the film. Upon arrival in Sri Lanka and hearing the lived experiences of those who survived the war provided my mind with immense imagery. Scenes of war, smiles, bloodshed, greenery, cries, laughter, and the continued suffering of Tamil people. These imageries are depicted on scene and in dialogue by the words of Theepachelvan – a Jaffna-based journalist and poet.

There was no escape from this imagery or the emotions it stirred. It was in the haze of these emotions and upon discussions with like-minded artists already planning a documentary regarding the reality of Tamils in Sri Lanka that the inspiration for Amudhan came to more fruition. I persuaded the documentary film making team that factual certainties of the documentary told in the narrative of one man's (Amudhan's) experience would provide for a compelling and robust film.

Set in picturesque Jaffna known for its greenness as much as its dryness, the real landscape of the movie is a war broken city covered by symbols of development in attempts to wipe away past horrors. Amudhan's character embodies the realities faced by former militants who sacrificed everything in the hopes of a better future for their people. They hear, feel and see a different Jaffna now, a different world that know no one except those who experienced their trauma understand.

The characters’ Amudhan encounters are vitally important to the plot - each are carefully sketched to illustrate the past and present-day realities of Jaffna. The troubled lone soldier encountered by Amudhan walking alone and fighting a war in his mind is just one form of symbolism expressed on screen. Missing limbs, broken homes are frequent and visible as trees, roads, storefronts across the film. Once a culturally resilient and vibrant place, Jaffna is captured as a place where war wounds on body and mind are evident.

Through Amudhan's patriotic eyes, the realities of Tamils in the island are deeply explored. Amudhan and the people of Jaffna he crosses paths with together express their continued search for identity and liberty. The loss of hope and the weakened state of the characters show the despair that emerges from decades of quest for freedom. For those who sacrificed their all during the war, they linger on alone without care or support.

Amudhan's walk to freedom, unlike even the likes of Mandela is not over. His commitment and patriotism are very much alive despite the trauma he lives with. The resiliency of the human spirit is tested through Amudhan. How much more can he embrace before falling apart? War, horror, and trauma is the old threshold of trauma.

His search for missing family as a result of war – a reality that far too many Tamils face today in Sri Lanka is the new form of trauma he suffers from and must conquer. Moving on from losing someone to death is one thing. Living on with the horror of not knowing whether they are dead is more brutal than death itself. This suffering is embodied in the character of a forgotten and wounded, war torn Amudhan. In this regard, Amudhan is a story of many stories crowded in the life of one man. It is the very familiar story of Tamils in Sri Lanka and around the world and never explicitly explored in depth in film until now.

Plot

Sinamkol is a compelling political story set eight years after the civil war in Sri Lanka. It is a story of a Tamil Eelam soldier Amudhan, his incredible journey and tribunals, as he searches for his wife and daughter after being released from detention by the genocidal Sri Lankan regime. The film describes the hardship of the lives of many Tamil soldiers in Sri Lanka. It portrays the political situations of the Tamils in their homeland through the eyes of Amudhan. Parallel to which, a Tamil family from diaspora visiting Tamil Eelam encounters troubles of post-war challenges. Sinamkol carries a powerful political message of post-war challenges faced by the minority Tamils.

Awards and nominations

Year	Award	Category	Nominee	Result	Ref.
2018	Calcutta International Cult Film Festival	Best Debut Film	Sinamkol	Won
		2020	Norway Tamil Film Festival	Best Feature Film Tamil – Diaspora	Sinamkol	Won	[9]
				Best Director Tamil – Diaspora	Ranjith Joseph	Won
Best Actor Male Tamil – Diaspora	Aravindhan			Won

References

1. "Sinhalese technicians in a film on war-torn Eelam". dtNext.in. May 6, 2019.
2. "First Eelam film to screen across Western countries receives rave reviews | Tamil Guardian". www.tamilguardian.com.
3. "Tamil producers and actors are not ready to try new ideas: Phathmen". The New Indian Express.
4. "'I've been working for the last ten years to create this film' – interview with director of Sinamkol | Tamil Guardian". www.tamilguardian.com.
5. "For the first time, film on Tamil Eelam gets 'U' certificate - Times of India". The Times of India.
6. "Sinamkol, 'first film shot in war-torn Sri Lankan regions'". The New Indian Express.
7. "இலங்கை தமிழர்கள் வாழ்க்கையை பின்னணியாக கொண்ட சினம் கொள்". Dinamalar.
8. குமார், முத்துராசா. "இது நடந்திருந்தால் முள்ளிவாய்க்கால் படுகொலையைப் பார்த்திருக்க மாட்டோம்" - ஈழக்கவிஞர் தீபச்செல்வன்! #VikatanExclusive". Vikatan.
9. "NTFF 2020: The Winners of Feature film| Short film | Music Video|Official Selection| Tamil – Diaspora| | NTFF".

External links

• Sinamkol at IMDb