REPUBLIC OF AMNESIA

Republic of Amnesia follows the rise and fall of Sri Lanka’s Aragalaya (“The Struggle”) — the non-violent protest movement that forced authoritarian president Gotabaya Rajapaksa to flee the country in 2022. At its heart are young activists like Melani, Buwanaka and Jeana, who lead marches, face arrest, and fight for a more inclusive future. As they challenge a corrupt political dynasty and a system rigged to resist change, their struggle raises a deeper question: can fragile hope survive in a country built on forgetting? The Aragalaya’s spirit of creative defiance has rippled across Asia, inspiring youth movements in Bangladesh, Indonesia and Nepal to confront corruption, repression and political amnesia in their own societies. Resonating far beyond Sri Lanka, Republic of Amnesia captures a generation’s search for justice in an age when authoritarianism is once again on the rise.

REPUBLIC OF AMNESIA

(83 mins, United Kingdom 2025)

Directed by Kannan Arunasalam
Produced by Kannan Arunasalam, Hiran Balasuriya, Retold World,
International Centre for Ethnic Studies
Executive Consultant Rob Lemkin

Written by Kannan Arunasalam, Hiran Balasuriya and Matt Maria
Cinematography by Kavindu Sivaraj, Striner Adams, Riyal Riffai,
Yaseen J. Khan and Kanapathipillai Kumanan
Edited by Hiran Balasuriya
Sound recorded by Bhanu Ekanayake
Original Score by Sami El-Enany,
Original Song ‘Kulprit’, Bo Sedkid
Colour by Jeremy Hogg
Sound design and mix by Peregrine Andrews
Sound Supervisor Sami El-Enany
Graphics by Matt Maria and errortheory404

Director/Producer

Kannan Arunasalam is a British-Sri Lankan documentary filmmaker. His films have received wide international recognition through his work in leading platforms including the BBC, Guardian Documentaries, and The New Yorker. Kannan trained under the Witness team in observational documentary filmmaking. His last film, 'Sri Lanka’s Rebel Wife' (2022) premiered at the Frontline Club, London and was shortlisted for best documentary at the DIG Investigative film awards. Kannan’s previous film, 'The Tent' (2019), a two channel installation film, was the focus of his British solo exhibition at the prestigious Yorkshire Contemporary, U.K. (formerly The Tetley). Kannan is also a qualified media and human rights lawyer and was a visiting professor teaching ‘Media representations of the Sri Lankan conflict’ at Cornell University. His feature documentary, ‘Possible Landscapes’ (2025) in collaboration with two professors at Cornell University, recently had its world premiere at BlackStar Film Festival. This is his second feature film.

Producer/editor

Hiran Balasuriya is a British-Sri Lankan filmmaker currently based in London, with substantial experience working for leading production companies like BBC Films in London and Kontent Films in San Francisco. Hiran has worked on many award-winning short and feature films, including 'Tell Spring Not to Come This Year', the sole feature documentary about the Afghan war from the perspective of Afghan soldiers. His directorial debut, the award-winning Sri Lankan short film 'The Joyous Farmer', has screened in festivals in America, Europe and South Asia. In New York, he has worked with ABKCO Films on the restored releases of Alejandro Jodorowsky’s films 'Fando y Lis', 'El Topo' and 'The Holy Mountain', as well as the 50th anniversary restoration of Jean Luc Godard’s 'Sympathy for the Devil'. In 2021, he edited 'Flowstate/North Brooklyn Artists', which won a New York Emmy® for Best Arts Entertainment Series. His latest project to be released, which he both edited and produced, is the feature documentary 'The Book of Harth', winner of the First Prize for Documentary Features at the Rhode Island International Film Festival and Best Feature Documentary at the inaugural edition of Kevin Smith's SmodCastle Film Festival.

WE’D LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU