About
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 History
Al Jazeera English, Doha
Commissioned to produce a new documentary film for Al Jazeera Media Network’s flagship strand ‘Witness’. Awaiting broadcast.
Cornell University, New York
Commissioned by Cornell University to produce a film based on footage shot during the ‘Atmospheric Pressures: Climate Imaginaries and Migration in the Caribbean’ Mellon Seminar (2019) in Trinidad & Tobago, in collaboration with Architecture Department’s Professor Tao DuFour and the English Department’s Natalie Melas.
Cornell University, New York
Commissioned by Cornell University to produce a film based on footage shot during the ‘Atmospheric Pressures: Climate Imaginaries and Migration in the Caribbean’ Mellon Seminar (2019) in Trinidad & Tobago, in collaboration with Architecture, Art & Planning Department’s Professor Tao DuFour and the English Department’s Natalie Melas.
Cornell University, New York
On location filming in Trinidad & Tobago, working with Cornell University—Mellon Seminar 2019: “Atmospheric Pressures: Climate Imaginaries and Migration in the Caribbean”. Filming the urban, infrastructural, and environmental contexts, and informal teaching of Cornell University's post-graduate students, engaging them in the filmmaking process.
Open Society Foundation, London
Grant from Open Society Foundation to exhibit ‘The Tent’ film installation, alongside Stephen Champion’s photography, in two exhibitions in Colombo (with an opening event hosted by Amnesty International) and Jaffna, Sri Lanka. The exhibitions sought to keep the spotlight on forcible disappearances in Sri Lanka during the civil war (1983-2009) and the southern insurrection (1987-1989).
Stateless Media, Los Angeles
Director, script development, director of photography and post-production for this new media start up, "Postprint storytelling and the home of the shortreal". Co-directed 'The Brothers Shaikh' (2013) (posted on The New Yorker, The Guardian); directed 'The People's Prophet' (2014) (commissioned by The Guardian), Director of Photography on 'Citizen Mars' (2015) (commissioned by AOL/Engadget). Director/DoP/Editor of 'Thep' (2016) (posted on Upworthy); co-director/DoP on Bitcoin project (2016) (commissioned by AOL/TechCrunch); director/DoP of shortreal 'Xu Ji' (2016); director/DoP of shortreal ‘Dhruvi) (2017).
The Tetley, Leeds, United Kingdom
Solo exhibition of new film installation ‘The Tent’ and other work at The Tetley contemporary art gallery, Leeds 16 February —2 June 2019. The exhibition's central film installation was a co-commission supported by the British Council and Arts Council England through The New North and South; a three-year programme of activity across eleven arts organisations from the North of England and South Asia.
Cornell University, New York
Pre-production on doc film aiming to capture “the city of Havana as a character”; and informal teaching of Cornell University's Department of Architecture students on a Mellon Seminar to Cuba.
Centre for Policy Alternatives, Colombo
Commissioned by the Foreign Commonwealth Office and CPA to make 'Sampur' (30 mins), a documentary film about a displaced community's struggle to return home after decades of conflict.
Cornell University, New York
Visiting lecturer to teach 'Media Representations of the Conflict in Visual Media: Sri Lanka and the Sri Lankan Diaspora' for the Asia Department and to give a seminar on religious conflict in Myanmar during the Fall semester, 2015.
Al Jazeera English, Doha
Commissioned by Al Jazeera English's Witness team and under its 'Viewfinder Asia' programme to make a new documentary film, 'News From Jaffna', broadcast in September 2014.
Centre for Peace & Conflict Studies, Cambodia
Filmmaker, documentary photographer, and media consultant in Myanmar. Directed and filmed several video portraits to highlight Myanmar's religious diversity; films have been used in international fora to promote religious tolerance and highlight religious conflict in Burma. Documentary photography of the All Burma Students Democratic Front's transition to peace.
BBC Radio 4, London
Co-produced radio documentary commissioned by BBC Radio 4. Worked with award winning Falling Tree Productions. ‘The Singing Fish of Batticaloa’ was broadcast on 28 July 2014.
International Alert, London
Filmmaker / Media and conflict consultant, commissioned to produce a series of video portraits on diaspora individuals and their engagement with Sri Lanka. ‘Diaspora Diaries’ posted on The Guardian to mark International Peace Day.
US State Department, United States
Grant of US$65,000 to work on ‘I Am’ multimedia narratives project. The ' I Am' project explores identity through the lives of 66 Sri Lankan elders. Over 14 hours of inspirational stories to listen to, edited from over 50 hours of captured oral history.
Radio Netherland Worldwide, The Hague
Sri Lanka correspondent for The State We're In, a human rights focussed, narrative journalism programme.
International Alert, London
Filmmaker and media and conflict consultant commissioned to produce a series of video portraits on the experiences of the Sri Lankan diaspora when engaging with development work in the conflict-affected north of Sri Lanka.
Centre for Policy Alternative, Colombo
Grant to produce three documentary shorts for CPA's Moving Images project, under a Ford Foundation grant. Two of the films have been screened at international film festivals, selected for Travelling Film South Asia 2012, and broadcast on Aljazeera English.
Centre for Poverty Analysis, Colombo
Media consultant, documentary filmmaker and senior researcher for this Colombo based think tank. Conceptualised an award winning conflict website and produced documentary portraits of youth discussing peace and conflict.
Oxfam NOVIB, Colombo
Communications consultant working on post-tsunami and conflict advocacy.
Pinsent Masons, (formerly Biddle & Co), London
Qualified defamation and human rights lawyer of this international law firm, handling high-profile defamation, privacy and human rights related litigation.
Education
M.St. International Human Rights, University of Oxford
Masters degree in International Human Rights with dissertation on new media and conflict.
M.A. Natural Sciences (Experimental Psychology), University of Cambridge
Natural Sciences majoring in Psychology. Part II project, ‘Do the Eyes Convey Emotion’ was featured on BBC’s Tomorrow's World.
Awards
Manuel Rivera- Ortiz Foundation Prize for Best Documentary Short, 2013
Seattle Asian International Documentary Festival Prism Award for Best Documentary Short, 2012
Excellence in Communications Award for innovative use of new media, Society for New Communications Research, 2007