‘Dirty, Yellow, Darkness’ gets European premiere

By Shiran Illanperuma

‘Dirty, Yellow, Darkness’, a Sinhala language film by Sri Lankan directors Kalpana and Vindana Ariyawansa, will receive its European premiere in July when it screens at the London Indian Film Festival, considered one of the biggest Asian film festivals in Europe.

The film by the Ariyawansa brothers has previously toured the festival circuit in Beijing, Shanghai, Goa, Kerala, Bengaluru, New Delhi, Palm Beach and the Cayman Islands. The film is yet to receive a national release in Sri Lanka though it screened at both the Jaffna and Colombo film festivals to a positive response from audiences.

Co-writer and director VindanaAriyawansa told Daily FT that it was a, “great feeling to receive a premier in Europe,” especially for a film from the subcontinent that is rated for a general audience and is a departure from typical themes like war and poverty.

“As a third world country, Sri Lankan films are often expected to fulfil stereotypical themes such as war and poverty. I think many of our filmmakers feel compelled to tell stories on these topics in order to get international traction, particularly in Western film festivals” said Ariyawansa.

“My brother and I chose to tell a story that is both universal and very personal to us and I’m glad the Festival Director for the London Indian Film Festival has recognised and appreciated that,” he added.

‘Dirty, Yellow, Darkness’ is a drama that tackles the issue of mental illness, a subject that is often considered taboo by segments of Sri Lankan society. The film stars Shyam Fernando as a man suffering from a severe case of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) and has a crippling fear of his own urine which in turn destroys his career and his marriage. Samanalee Fonseka plays Fernando’s wife who is alienated by his illness and is the catalyst for him to seek help for recovery.

The London Indian Film festival does not accept submissions from filmmakers in the traditional manner. Rather, every film is handpicked by the festival for screening and so the Ariyawansa brothers were pleasantly surprised when they were approached by the festival last month.

KalpanaAriyawansa will be attending the festival on behalf of the cast and crew of the film.

The London Indian Film Festival will take place from 14 to 24 July.