Tamil Guardian hosted a sold-out screening of the film 'Little Jaffna' last week in London, which was followed by a question-and-answer session with director Lawrence Valin and several cast members.
Filmgoers, actors, and scriptwriters were all in attendance at the Bloomsbury Curzon for the critically acclaimed French film 'Little Jaffna'. The story takes place in the La Chapelle district in Paris, also known as Little Jaffna. It follows the main protagonist, Michael, a young French-Tamil police officer, as he is sent to infiltrate an organisation linked with fundraising for the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). As Michael becomes embroiled in this world, questions of identity and internal conflict begin to arise.
The film is set against the backdrop of the end of the armed conflict in Sri Lanka and the height of the Tamil Genocide, with several references to the war crimes and genocidal acts committed by the Sri Lankan state against the Tamil people.
Following the screening of the film, which received a standing ovation from the audience, a lively trilingual Q&A chaired by Tamil Guardian's Editor-in-Chief Dr.Thusiyan Nandakumar was held with the director Lawrence Valin and cast members who played the 'Killiz', Midushan Chandrasiri, Nirojan Nallathamby, and Dinesh Mouttouvelou.
Valin was frank about his motivations to produce this film, citing the lack of and the breadth of acting roles for South Asians, especially Tamils, in France. He also wanted to portray the Tamil community in a different light, writing powerful characters and roles that went against the conventional image of the community.
Speaking on the casting process, the cast members highlighted how they had first heard about the film at a Tamil football tournament. The vast majority of the actors were made up of French-Tamils who were from the area. Valin had made it a point to reach out to the Tamil community to take up roles in the film. This was not limited to acting, with Tamil rapper and actor, Dinesh Mouttouvelou also producing a song for the film's soundtrack.
Valin spoke on the process of writing characters wanting to reflect those impacted by the conflict. Nirojan Nallathamby played a member of the Killiz, with an intimidating on-screen presence. Valin had made this character intentionally mute as to reflect the impacts of trauma from the armed conflict.
When asked about censorship and his showcasing of Tamil Nationalist imagery, Valin saw it as a responsibility for those in the diaspora to speak up because those back in the homeland cannot. He was clear about the importance of Eelam Tamils telling their own stories and hoped that this film, which circumvented the traditional route through Indian cinema, yet still attracted actors from the industry, could act as a catalyst for future Eelam Tamil creatives to tell compelling stories.
'Little Jaffna' is available for streaming across major digital platforms.
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