In this episode of the SADF podcast, host Tapas Kanti Baul speaks with Canadian Tamil filmmaker and peace advocate Pitasanna Shanmugathas, director of the powerful documentary “Neelan: Unsilenced”.
The film explores the life and legacy of Dr. Neelan Tiruchelvam—a Sri Lankan Tamil constitutional lawyer, academic, and human rights activist who was assassinated in 1999.
We discuss Neelan’s visionary proposals for constitutional reform, his commitment to pluralism and reconciliation, and the political complexities surrounding his death. Pitasanna shares insights into the filmmaking process, the challenges of documenting dissent, and the importance of preserving voices silenced by violence.
🎥 Watch the full documentary: http://www.neelanunsilenced.com/
Watch the review by Natasha Fernando, SADF Junior Fellow, here.
🔔 Subscribe for more conversations on justice, memory, and South Asian politics.
Hosted by: Tapas Kanti Baul, South Asia Democratic Forum (SADF)
Madalena Casaca
Madalena Casaca is SADF’s Editor and part-time Researcher for the Democracy Research Programme. Ms Casaca is a graduate in European Studies (graduated 2008) from the University of Lisbon, where she explored with high productivity not only European and Western Social Sciences but also African Studies, Russian Studies, and Anthropology. Ms Casaca also completed a yearly Documentary Programme in Prague in 2012/2013 and attended the Film School of the University of Wales in Newport in 2011/2012, where all the basics of visual communication were explored and developed. Less
A one-year investment was made in Moscow studying the Russian language, of which she holds the B2 degree. Madalena began a Master’s degree in World History at the Moscow State University, where she completed the first semester, receiving the highest marks in all courses. She had to return to Portugal for personal reasons and now raises her young daughters in Lisbon. She is transforming her Masters’ Diploma on World History into a non-academic book.