Kannan Arunasalam

Documentary Filmmaker

About

Kannan Arunasalam’s documentary work has received wide international recognition, and published in leading publications and platforms including Al Jazeera English, BBC, The Guardian, and The New Yorker. Kannan’s practice focusses on stories that highlight the long-term impact of conflict, viewed through a human rights lens. His approach is immersive, rigorous and reflective, working on films after years of intensive research and production. His last film, Sri Lanka’s Rebel Wife followed the central character’s journey in search of answers about her disappeared husband. The film was shortlisted for best documentary at the DIG Investigative film awards, Modena, Italy in 2022. Kannan’s previous film, ‘The Tent’ (2019) was the focus of his two British solo exhibitions at The Tetley, Leeds and at the Brighton Centre for Contemporary Art. Kannan read psychology at the University of Cambridge and holds a masters degree in international human rights law from the University of Oxford focusing on new media and conflict. He was a visiting professor teaching ‘media representations of the Sri Lankan conflict’ at Cornell University’s Department of Asian Studies, and is working on his new feature film, Possible Landscapes, in collaboration with professors at Cornell University’s Architecture and Comparative Modernities Department. Kannan is available to work internationally in these different roles.

Kannan Arunasalam is an award winning British–Sri Lankan documentary filmmaker. Kannan’s films have screened at international film festivals and art museums, most recently his British solo exhibition at The Tetley, United Kingdom (2019). His work has appeared in Guardian Films, The New Yorker, AOL Originals, and broadcast on BBC and Al Jazeera English.

Kannan read psychology at the University of Cambridge and holds a masters in international human rights law from the University of Oxford focusing on new media and conflict. He was a visiting professor teaching ‘media representations of the Sri Lankan conflict’ at Cornell University’s Department of Asian Studies, and continues to engage students in filmmaking on location with Cornell University’s Architecture Department. Kannan is available to work internationally in these different roles.

Work Experience

Education

Awards