Pãlugama (The Isolated Village)

‘Pãlugama’ is a research documentary about the realities of the way of life in a village where people’s livelihood depends on pottery. Debut filmmaker Ishanka Rajapaksa produced this research documentary as part of her final year project for her Special Degree in Image Arts from the University of Kelaniya. I was the project supervisor for the documentary and contributed as the director of photography and co-editor.

Pottery lays claim to a proud history as an integral art form and a way of life in Sri Lanka. The villagers who create these beautiful works of art come from long lines of artists, belonging to a separate caste. Generations of potters have been crafting pottery for hundreds of years, and their legacy lives on, evolving with new technology and the times. The current generation of potters faces a multitude of challenges as they navigate present times, technological changes, etc., to realize their dreams. The narrator of this documentary is the current elder of the village, Gunapala Gurunnanse.”

‘Pãlugama’ is a rural village in the Northwest of Sri Lanka. We spent 90 days in the village, researching pottery and the villagers’ way of life. Consequently, we spent 7 days filming the documentary. We first screened the ‘Pãlugama’ documentary on 17th November 2014, at the Harold Peiris Art Gallery, Colombo. Later, we screened the film for Pãlugama residents in their village in 2015.