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"Every five years, the governing changes and therefore the way to go about things is not to sit back and hurl blame. Citizens must contribute to their motherland within their capacity" Inoka Sathyangani Keerthinanda[/caption]
Last week we celebrated International Women's Day, and with 2021’s theme for Women’s Day being “Choose to Challenge”, we thought who better to feature than the incredible Inoka Sathyangani Keerthinanda.
An internationally acclaimed film director and producer regarded as one of the few successful female directors in Sri Lanka, she is also the former Chairperson of Sri Lanka Rupavahini Corporation (SLRC) and the first and only woman to have held the position. She is also an active member of the Colombo Independents Cinema Forum which works towards a “better and wholesome Sri Lankan cinema”.
Being a woman leader, Inoka has had to face numerous challenges on her way to the top, and in keeping with this year’s theme of Choose to Challenge, she has taken the road less travelled and challenged every obstacle that came her way in her journey towards success. We spoke with Inoka about the many challenges she has had to face in her career as a professional, particularly in her chosen industry of media, which is largely male-dominated.
A tenacious personality from her younger days, Inoka shared with us how she has always made choices for herself, being incredibly goal-oriented as a young student. Despite being in her second year of the Colombo Law Faculty, she chose to pursue a career in broadcasting and advertising, from which point she transitioned to television scriptwriting and eventually grew into a cinema director and scriptwriter.
Having established herself as a prominent figure in the public eye, Inoka has played a pivotal role in society for women’s welfare; being a woman in power, she has led by example. A strong believer in citizens’ responsibility, she said that while originally she was a part of the political alliance Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB), she severed connections as she came to understand that she has led her life as a “social character”. She then came to the realisation that being political and holding strong to one’s personal political beliefs and rejecting all others is not the way to improve one’s society, but one must do so by being open to the good in whatever form it comes.
“We mustn’t be so stringent on holding true to our personal policies. You are bound to be unhappy with the ruling party at some point; every five years, the governing changes and therefore the way to go about things is not to sit back and hurl blame. Citizens must contribute to their motherland within their capacity,” said Inoka, adding that there are always ways for you to get involved in making real change happen.
She shared that often we prefer to play the blame game and remain uninvolved in the procedural changes that require real input. Citizens, she said, need not be political nor aggressive when demanding change, but they simply must show interest and have a vision of change and a drive to make that change happen. It is not always a government’s responsibility, and sometimes the citizens must take charge or their own destiny.
Women in position of power
[caption id="attachment_124347" align="alignright" width="650"]
Damitha Abeyratne and Linton Semage in 'Sulang Kirilli'[/caption]
Inoka recently participated in the conference held by “Kantha Saviya”, condemning the fundamental rights action that was brought against the appointment of Sri Lanka’s first female Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) Bimshani Jasin Arachchi. At the gathering, she spoke against the deplorable actions of the fraternity of police higher-ups who chose to crush the achievements of a woman simply because of her being a woman.
She spoke of gender discrimination that is most prominent in our country, highlighting how in actions such as this, it brings to light some of the gaps in legislation when it comes to allowing women to achieve. She pointed out that the Police Ordinance which is being utilised to discriminate against the appointment of DIG Bimashani was first instituted in 1866, and that in the past one-and-a-half centuries of its existence, it has not been amended to include women in its provisions.
Sharing her personal experience during her station as the Chairperson of SLRC, Inoka said that the SLRC is a place of extreme bureaucracy, next to the Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation (SLBC). As it is the only fully government-run media organisation, the unions and their leaders play a critical role in its power structure.
Inoka said that women, of course, face great difficulty in everyday society, and in an industry where real power is being yielded by jaded men looking to bring you down – those who are unhappy that you, a woman, has ascended to a position of power where they must now play a role in listening to and taking the said woman seriously – it is doubly challenging. She said that there were many who wished not to take directive from a woman and that it was a massive obstacle which she herself had to overcome.
She also shared that when she took over the position, former Minister Mangala Samaraweera wished for her to implement a drastic programme change at the SLRC. “It is a reality that Rupavahini being the government media station, it is afflicted with giving airtime to propaganda, and in doing so, it alienates potential advertisers,” she said, adding that one of her directives was to make the SLRC commercial-friendly.
They also have a massive overhead when it comes to the workforce, as they have over a thousand employees whereas private media organisations would have around 200-250 employees. She said she is satisfied with what she achieved before resigning, as Rupavahini won the Raigam Tele Awards during her time in office, winning the award for the Channel of the Year for the first time after 15 long years. “It was not an easy task; there are many naysayers and it was near-impossible to carry out any task without expecting to clash,” she said; nevertheless, she was able to achieve her goals.
[caption id="attachment_124346" align="alignleft" width="531"]
Damitha Abeyratne playing Rathi in 'Sulang Kirilli'[/caption]
Story of ‘Sulang Kirilli’
Continuing to share with us her life’s story, Inoka guided us through her creative works, particularly her maiden effort at directing Sulang Kirilli. Released in 2002, the film tackled controversial themes such as abortion, and up until 2020, it held the record to have won the highest number of international awards by a single film in the history of Sri Lanka's film industry, having won nine international awards and two Jury prizes.
The subject matter of Sulang Kirilli has remained a topic of interest, remaining relevant to this day, and Inoka tackles the subject sensitively, taking care not to politicise a really sensitive and human issue. She said what prompted her to write and direct the film was due to some experience she was exposed to personally. In 1999, the Women's Bureau of Sri Lanka contacted her in order to create a research-based documentary based on garment factory workers in the island. She said that in preparation for the documentary, she spent three months interacting with garment factories in Biyagama, Seethawaka, and Katunayaka areas and she came across numerous issues faced by the young women and girls who work in these factories. She said that illegal abortion was one of the most pressing issues they saw as a day-to-day problem faced by these workers.
Having personally encountered young persons who have experienced these tragedies, Inoka was incredibly moved and restless until she put pen to paper and created the script for Sulang Kirilli. She made a decision to give a voice to the issue at hand, and taking into consideration her position as a writer and director, she felt it was her responsibility to do so.
Following the success of Sulang Kirilli, Inoka took a cool 14 years before releasing her next film titled Cinderella in 2016. The film was extremely well received and has spawned a sequel titled Cinderella 2, which is awaiting its release. Additionally, she has an upcoming art film which is currently in post-production; a project she had put on hold due to her stint as the Chairperson of SLRC, and was only able to revisit the project following her resignation.
As for releasing these films, Inoka said that there are about 200-300 films that have been held up without a possible release due to these pandemic conditions, adding that no producer is willing to release a film in this economic climate as they would not risk the possibility of not making back their investment. She did, however, make an exclusive announcement of her upcoming YouTube channel, sharing that within the next two months, audiences can be sure to expect Inoka gracing the interwebs with her brand new venture where she hopes to launch a YouTube channel addressing women’s issues.
"Every five years, the governing changes and therefore the way to go about things is not to sit back and hurl blame. Citizens must contribute to their motherland within their capacity" Inoka Sathyangani Keerthinanda[/caption]
Last week we celebrated International Women's Day, and with 2021’s theme for Women’s Day being “Choose to Challenge”, we thought who better to feature than the incredible Inoka Sathyangani Keerthinanda.
An internationally acclaimed film director and producer regarded as one of the few successful female directors in Sri Lanka, she is also the former Chairperson of Sri Lanka Rupavahini Corporation (SLRC) and the first and only woman to have held the position. She is also an active member of the Colombo Independents Cinema Forum which works towards a “better and wholesome Sri Lankan cinema”.
Being a woman leader, Inoka has had to face numerous challenges on her way to the top, and in keeping with this year’s theme of Choose to Challenge, she has taken the road less travelled and challenged every obstacle that came her way in her journey towards success. We spoke with Inoka about the many challenges she has had to face in her career as a professional, particularly in her chosen industry of media, which is largely male-dominated.
A tenacious personality from her younger days, Inoka shared with us how she has always made choices for herself, being incredibly goal-oriented as a young student. Despite being in her second year of the Colombo Law Faculty, she chose to pursue a career in broadcasting and advertising, from which point she transitioned to television scriptwriting and eventually grew into a cinema director and scriptwriter.
Having established herself as a prominent figure in the public eye, Inoka has played a pivotal role in society for women’s welfare; being a woman in power, she has led by example. A strong believer in citizens’ responsibility, she said that while originally she was a part of the political alliance Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB), she severed connections as she came to understand that she has led her life as a “social character”. She then came to the realisation that being political and holding strong to one’s personal political beliefs and rejecting all others is not the way to improve one’s society, but one must do so by being open to the good in whatever form it comes.
“We mustn’t be so stringent on holding true to our personal policies. You are bound to be unhappy with the ruling party at some point; every five years, the governing changes and therefore the way to go about things is not to sit back and hurl blame. Citizens must contribute to their motherland within their capacity,” said Inoka, adding that there are always ways for you to get involved in making real change happen.
She shared that often we prefer to play the blame game and remain uninvolved in the procedural changes that require real input. Citizens, she said, need not be political nor aggressive when demanding change, but they simply must show interest and have a vision of change and a drive to make that change happen. It is not always a government’s responsibility, and sometimes the citizens must take charge or their own destiny.
Women in position of power
[caption id="attachment_124347" align="alignright" width="650"] Damitha Abeyratne and Linton Semage in 'Sulang Kirilli'[/caption]
Inoka recently participated in the conference held by “Kantha Saviya”, condemning the fundamental rights action that was brought against the appointment of Sri Lanka’s first female Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) Bimshani Jasin Arachchi. At the gathering, she spoke against the deplorable actions of the fraternity of police higher-ups who chose to crush the achievements of a woman simply because of her being a woman.
She spoke of gender discrimination that is most prominent in our country, highlighting how in actions such as this, it brings to light some of the gaps in legislation when it comes to allowing women to achieve. She pointed out that the Police Ordinance which is being utilised to discriminate against the appointment of DIG Bimashani was first instituted in 1866, and that in the past one-and-a-half centuries of its existence, it has not been amended to include women in its provisions.
Sharing her personal experience during her station as the Chairperson of SLRC, Inoka said that the SLRC is a place of extreme bureaucracy, next to the Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation (SLBC). As it is the only fully government-run media organisation, the unions and their leaders play a critical role in its power structure.
Inoka said that women, of course, face great difficulty in everyday society, and in an industry where real power is being yielded by jaded men looking to bring you down – those who are unhappy that you, a woman, has ascended to a position of power where they must now play a role in listening to and taking the said woman seriously – it is doubly challenging. She said that there were many who wished not to take directive from a woman and that it was a massive obstacle which she herself had to overcome.
She also shared that when she took over the position, former Minister Mangala Samaraweera wished for her to implement a drastic programme change at the SLRC. “It is a reality that Rupavahini being the government media station, it is afflicted with giving airtime to propaganda, and in doing so, it alienates potential advertisers,” she said, adding that one of her directives was to make the SLRC commercial-friendly.
They also have a massive overhead when it comes to the workforce, as they have over a thousand employees whereas private media organisations would have around 200-250 employees. She said she is satisfied with what she achieved before resigning, as Rupavahini won the Raigam Tele Awards during her time in office, winning the award for the Channel of the Year for the first time after 15 long years. “It was not an easy task; there are many naysayers and it was near-impossible to carry out any task without expecting to clash,” she said; nevertheless, she was able to achieve her goals.
[caption id="attachment_124346" align="alignleft" width="531"] Damitha Abeyratne playing Rathi in 'Sulang Kirilli'[/caption]
Story of ‘Sulang Kirilli’
Continuing to share with us her life’s story, Inoka guided us through her creative works, particularly her maiden effort at directing Sulang Kirilli. Released in 2002, the film tackled controversial themes such as abortion, and up until 2020, it held the record to have won the highest number of international awards by a single film in the history of Sri Lanka's film industry, having won nine international awards and two Jury prizes.
The subject matter of Sulang Kirilli has remained a topic of interest, remaining relevant to this day, and Inoka tackles the subject sensitively, taking care not to politicise a really sensitive and human issue. She said what prompted her to write and direct the film was due to some experience she was exposed to personally. In 1999, the Women's Bureau of Sri Lanka contacted her in order to create a research-based documentary based on garment factory workers in the island. She said that in preparation for the documentary, she spent three months interacting with garment factories in Biyagama, Seethawaka, and Katunayaka areas and she came across numerous issues faced by the young women and girls who work in these factories. She said that illegal abortion was one of the most pressing issues they saw as a day-to-day problem faced by these workers.
Having personally encountered young persons who have experienced these tragedies, Inoka was incredibly moved and restless until she put pen to paper and created the script for Sulang Kirilli. She made a decision to give a voice to the issue at hand, and taking into consideration her position as a writer and director, she felt it was her responsibility to do so.
Following the success of Sulang Kirilli, Inoka took a cool 14 years before releasing her next film titled Cinderella in 2016. The film was extremely well received and has spawned a sequel titled Cinderella 2, which is awaiting its release. Additionally, she has an upcoming art film which is currently in post-production; a project she had put on hold due to her stint as the Chairperson of SLRC, and was only able to revisit the project following her resignation.
As for releasing these films, Inoka said that there are about 200-300 films that have been held up without a possible release due to these pandemic conditions, adding that no producer is willing to release a film in this economic climate as they would not risk the possibility of not making back their investment. She did, however, make an exclusive announcement of her upcoming YouTube channel, sharing that within the next two months, audiences can be sure to expect Inoka gracing the interwebs with her brand new venture where she hopes to launch a YouTube channel addressing women’s issues.