Tharindu’s cinematic protest against X-Press Pearl disaster
View(s):- ‘This is not a Pearl’ awarded in the UK
Filmmaker Tharindu Ramanayake
By Susitha Fernando
Young filmmaker Tharindu Ramanayaka was shocked and shaken when he heard about Sri Lanka’s worst ever marine pollution occured on May 20, 2021. The X-Press Pearl Container ship carrying 9700 tons of toxic chemicals including 87 containers holding various plastic pallets estimated to weigh around 1700 tons of toxic that caught fire off the coast of Colombo Sri Lanka. The filmmaker with his fury was searching for a way to express his protest until he came across a photo of a dead fish with several nurdles discharged from the disastrous X-Press Pearl ship were stuck in its gills. The nurdles which are categorised as ‘microplastics’ look like ‘pearls’ and this ignite the creative imagination of Tharindu who went into a string of thoughts connecting the image of pearl which Sri Lanka was famously identified with the phrase ‘the pearl of the Indian ocean’. Now this pearl like nurdle has destroyed the island nation and its marine biodiversity. He contemplated that like what happened to the fish he saw, if this poisonous nurdle got into the body of oyster in whose body pearls are formed, what an agony and suffering it could be.
Tharindu shared this idea with his girlfriend who is a dancer and the couple decided to make dance movie to show the suffering of the oyster which was titled ‘This is not a Pearl’.
The film won the Best Film in the Experimental, International category at the 2024 Big Syn Film Fest – the world’s biggest sustainability film festival at Curzon Soho in London this month. The festival aimed to reach over 50 million in 120 countries and Tharindu’s film was selected from over 500 films and over 300 charity films received from over 120 countries. Presented as a chorographical expression performed by dance researcher Ama Nethmi who performed as the one and only character.
Tharindu’s film was selected by a grand Jury comprising of OSCAR, BAFTA and EMMY award-winners and leaders from the sustainability, business, media and policy such as Roberta Boscolo (WMO, Climate and Energy Lead, United Nations), Baroness Bennett (House of Lords), Prof. Ioannis Ioannou (London Business School’s Sustainability Guru), Christine Choi (Professor, Tisch School of the Arts, New York University), Peggy Rajski (Oscar-winning filmmaker), Elena Andreicheva (OSCAR and BAFTA award-winning filmmaker), Martina Amati (BAFTA award-winning filmmaker), Steve Smith (BAFTA award-winning Director), and Alex Lockwood (BAFTA award-winning filmmaker).
Dance researcher Ama Nethmi
“I have observed that many of our filmmakers miss lot of current and contemporary issues. X-Press Pearl disaster is something that we cannot miss,” the young filmmaker explained.
Having received accolades at several national and international festivals for his initial directions, Tharindu won a full scholarship at the prestigious Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute in Kolkata, India where he mastered his filmmaking.
With nearly 10 year in cinema Tharindu has made short films, documentaries and music videos and they include “MANDALA”, “KRIMIKOSH”, “ANDAJA” and “WEEPING ANGEL” and some of them have been award winners and represented Sri Lanka at several foreign film festivals.
While being a creative director and a visiting lecturer, Tharindu is currently in the pre-production phase of his debut feature film.
“This is not a Pearl’ is written and directed by Tharindu whiel it was performed and produced by Ama Nethmi. The director of photography is Kularuwan Gamage and editor is Dilantha Perera. Score composer, music producer and sound designers are Nadika Asanga Weligodapola and Theevra Productions and vocalists are Nadika Weligodapola and Dinupa Chathurangi Kodagoda. Colourist is Hasitha JayaSanka and assistant director is Pathum M Ekanayake. The line producer Naleen Guruge, art director Sadun Madurapperuma and costume designers are Ravindu Nuwan and Viola Boparathne. Make-Up by Zayu Vi, hair by Treshika Dilee and drone handled by K. Aruna Kumara and Sahan Hewavitharana.
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