• Afdhel Aziz on his Geoffrey Bawa documentary ‘The Genius of the Place’

Those familiar with the Sri Lankan cultural zeitgeist have most likely heard the name Geoffrey Bawa. Arguably Sri Lanka’s most prolific architect, his visionary approach to design seamlessly integrated nature, culture, and architecture to create buildings that have left an indelible mark on Sri Lanka’s architectural landscape. 

Bawa is also often considered one of the pioneers of tropical modernism, a modern architectural style that emerged as a response to the challenges posed to architects by the hot and humid tropical environments of Southeast Asia, the Caribbean, and parts of Africa and South America. Many of the hallmarks of Bawa’s work – open-plan layouts, courtyards, natural ventilation, traditional materials, shaded verandas, and seamless indoor-outdoor living – are also hallmarks of tropical modernism. 

Bawa’s impact as a visionary architect is irrefutable, and this week, The Sunday Morning Brunch sat down with brand marketer Afdhel Aziz to discuss his debut documentary ‘The Genius of the Place’ – a documentary that explores Bawa’s work, how he decolonised 20th century architecture and inspired Asia to live more naturally, sustainably, and beautifully.

‘The Genius of the Place’

“The documentary is my story about trying to understand Geoffrey Bawa’s work. I studied in Sri Lanka at one of his buildings [St. Thomas’ Prep] and grew up next to the Parliament. I’ve also been to all his hotels with my family, but I didn’t know anything about the man. Who was he, what influenced him, how was he uniquely Sri Lankan?” Aziz said about what first sparked ‘The Genius of the Place’. 

‘The Genius of the Place’ captures Aziz on a quest to photograph five of Bawa’s buildings; his country estate Lunuganga near Bentota, which incidentally celebrates its 75th anniversary this year; the Kandalama Hotel; the Ena de Silva House; the Lighthouse Hotel in Galle, now known as Jetwing Lighthouse Galle; and Red Cliffs, Bawa’s last residential project. 

“I’ve also had a relationship with each of these buildings at one point and have a very deep emotional connection to each of them,” Aziz noted, adding that part of why he had chosen these locations to focus on in the documentary had been because each of those locations had been built by Bawa at a different point in his life and represented different challenges he had had to overcome. 

Lunuganga, of course, was in many ways a lifelong labour of love, with Bawa building and shaping it over 50 years. 

The Kandalama Hotel was one of Bawa’s most challenging projects – its construction took place amid much protest from environmentalists and religious groups and drove him to create the most environmentally-sound hotel ever created (and the first LEED platinum building outside of the US). 

The Ena de Silva House was a conscious step away from the traditional British bungalow and a return to indigenous Sri Lankan tradition. 

The Lighthouse Hotel, in an entirely different conundrum to the Kandalama Hotel, saw Bawa strive to build a new environment where there wasn’t one – to build a beach hotel in a location where there was no beach. 

The last residential project Bawa ever created, while in a wheelchair after a stroke, may have been his most audacious yet. The house at Red Cliffs dispenses with doors and windows and even walls to create a stunning pavilion overlooking the Indian Ocean on three sides.

“The format of ‘The Genius of the Place’ is almost like a play in five acts. There are five interviews and each guest sits in their own sequence,” Aziz explained of how he approached these five unique locations. Part of what Aziz really wanted to focus on was Bawa the man and not Bawa the architect and to find out just how he connected to each location to create something unique from the space. 

On taking the film public, Aziz said: “Currently, we are negotiating with various theatrical and television companies to have the film go into a general release in theatres for people to see on the big screen, followed by a release on TV in Sri Lanka with subtitles in all three languages.” The film is also an official selection at the Madrid Indie Film Festival (MADRIFF). 

Why Geoffrey Bawa? 

Aziz boasts a 20-year career in brand marketing, doing creative advertising, content, and experiences for large brands worldwide. His current focus is on ‘Conspiracy for Hope,’ a consultancy helping large brands like Adidas, Coca-Cola, and Sephora, advising on sustainability and social impact, investing money in solving social problems. These skills provided him with a comfortable springboard for producing a film and taking ideas from inception to execution. But what made him pick Geoffrey Bawa? 

“His buildings leave me feeling a sense of wonder and awe. I truly believe they are inspiring buildings and gardens – the energy of his buildings heals and inspires me. Also how he connects Sri Lankans with the beautiful nature that surrounds them and how he blurs inside and outside,” Aziz said of what most resonated with him when it came to Geoffrey Bawa. 

He also added: “As a person, Geoffrey Bawa’s deep love for nature was fundamental to understanding him. An architect with the soul of a gardener, he designed Lunuganga to be in harmony with the outdoors. His buildings blossomed like gardens, evolving over time. Determined and focused, he pushed boundaries as an artist, embracing new approaches. As a Sri Lankan boy, there weren’t many role models like that in Sri Lanka. When you look at him, you want to have his life – that creativity, artistry, and freedom.”

Telling this story, however, was no small feat. “I really had to go on a journey to learn how to be a director and filmmaker. It was an interesting experience learning about the art of filmmaking – from writing scripts to mastering the language of visual storytelling,” Aziz explained of the multifaceted process behind ‘The Genius of The Place’. 

“I feel privileged to work with some wonderful Sri Lankan collaborators. Prasad Perera, the producer, helped find the crew and filmmakers: Hasitha Warnasuriya, Striner Adams, Hasindu Madushanka (a drone photographer), Suren de Silva (also a drone photographer), and Chris Burgess, who served as another director of photography here in Sri Lanka. 

“With a crew of 15 amazing artists, our goal was to make a film that would make Sri Lanka proud and show it in the best possible light. What we were all trying to do was to go beyond making a film that was about Bawa and make a film so beautiful that anyone who watched it would want to get on a plane and come to Sri Lanka.”

Honouring the Bawa legacy

‘The Genius of the Place’ offers a rare perspective from people who knew him – architects he trained and clients who knew him. Aziz’s dream was to also include perspectives from his greatest contemporaries like Ena de Silva, Lucky Senanayake, and Barbara Sansoni, but alas, the nature of time is such that these luminaries left us before Aziz got the chance to learn about their personal experiences of Geoffrey Bawa. 

This year also happens to mark the 75th anniversary of Lunuganga, Bawa’s country estate near Bentota, an occasion marked by the Geoffrey Bawa Trust with a series of programmes honouring Bawa’s legacy. Though unrelated to this landmark anniversary, Aziz shared that he was also immensely proud to be able to contribute to preserving Bawa’s legacy and showcasing it to the world. 

“Bawa’s influence extends beyond Sri Lankan architecture; internationally, his work championed sustainability, connection to nature, and indigenous architecture,” Aziz said. “He was ahead of his time and modern-day architecture is catching up with his vision. Bawa deserves to be celebrated as one of the world’s greatest architects and the film aims to elevate his status by showcasing the beauty and majesty of his buildings. The film is an epic cinematic and immersive experience, transporting viewers into Bawa’s buildings. It also offers a unique perspective of Sri Lanka, like you’ve never seen before.”