Culture & Community

Culture & Community

Latest news from and about the homeland

Following his recent hit, 2023’s ‘Mark Antony,’ Adhik Ravichandran returns to the screen having teamed up with his idol Ajith Kumar for ‘Good Bad Ugly.’ Fanboy cinema has yielded interesting results for the industry recently: Karthik Subbaraj collaborated with Rajinikanth for 2019’s ‘Petta’ and Lokesh Kanagaraj worked with his idol Kamal Haasan for 2022’s ‘Vikram.’ These films are primarily…

Amaran - Problematic propaganda

amaran

The genre of war epic makes its grand re-entry to Tamil cinema with director Rajkumar Periasamy’s sophomore feature film, ‘Amaran.’ As is often the case with this genre, one cannot help but feel the events of the ‘true story’ onscreen have been heavily modified for easy consumption.

 

 

 

Kanguva - Headache inducing

Since his start in the Telugu film industry and Tamil debut with 2011’s ‘Siruthai’ starring Karthi, Siva has unabashedly aimed to provide nothing but mindless entertainment for his audience. If you are looking for leave-your-brain-at-home, escapist cinema, Siva will provide by the bucket.

 

 

 

Little Jaffna – A Tale of Dual Identity

Lawrence Valin’s ‘Little Jaffna,’ a feature-length debut based on his short film, delivers a compelling story about identity. Set in France, the film follows Michael, a Tamil-French police officer, assigned to infiltrate a crime syndicate funding the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). As Michael enters this world, his long-suppressed connection to it resurfaces, leading to internal conflict as he balances his mission and heritage.

 

 

'If you don’t talk about it, you forget it' - Interview with 'Little Jaffna' director Lawrence Valin

“I didn’t make it like it was my first film. I made it like it was my last.”

Lawrence Valin sat down with Tamil Guardian, returning from the Toronto International Film Festival having sold out two screenings of his debut feature film ‘Little Jaffna’. The groundbreaking film was also selected to be screened at the Zurich Film Festival and chosen as a closing film at the Venice International Film Festival.

 

 

Jaffna Tamil powerlifter breaks national records and grabs medals at Commonwealth championship

Jaffna’s own 29-year-old Satkunarasa Pushanthan achieved an outstanding feat at the Commonwealth Powerlifting Championship 2024, winning an overall silver medal at the international competition. Pushanthan had a total lift of 827.5 kg, smashing three national records to solidify his place as one of the island's top powerlifters.

Sid Sriram shines at O2 Arena in biggest UK solo concert yet

Sid Sriram joined a long list of illustrious names to perform at the O2 Arena on the Greenwich Peninsula, last Sunday, to mark his biggest UK solo concert to date. The multi-talented versatile singer adds another feather to his musical journey progressing from last year’s performance at the OVO Arena, Wembley. 

Australian Tamil Velupillay makes stunning debut in World Cup Qualifier

Australian Tamil footballer Nishan Velupillay made a stunning international debut for Australia during their 2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifier match against China, as he bagged a goal in his first international match.

Photograph: @Socceroos

Vettaiyan - Predictable police procedural

TJ Gnanavel’s previous feature film, Surya starrer ‘Jai Bhim’ was received with widespread acclaim, causing a movement to submit the film as India’s official selection for the Academy Award for Best International Feature. The film did not work for me, however, and the entire movement felt like an extreme overreaction for a mediocre film - an issue which plagues the Tamil film industry, where the ‘message’ of a film often trumps the quality of it.

Eelam Tamil receives prestigious Danish National Award in Education

Vashanth Selvadurai, an Eelam Tamil who fled to Denmark during the armed conflict was honored with the Danish National Award in Education, marking the first time a Tamil individual has received this prestigious recognition.

Meiyazhagan - Truly beautiful

C. Prem Kumar’s debut feature film entered the pantheon of the greatest romantic dramas produced by the Tamil film industry; 2018’s ‘96’ starring Vijay Sethupathi and Trisha is a delicate film told by a first-time director with an assured and gentle tone.