Accessibility Settings

You can use these controls to adjust properties of the website’s presentation. Read more about the Festival’s Accessibility Guide

The Spectre Watches Over Her

A reaction to the groundbreaking text by Swiss anthropologist Paul Wirz entitled “Exorcism and the Art of Healing in Ceylon,” this silent and hand processed film considers a history of colonialism and ethnographic practices in South Asia. At his mother’s village, Samarasinghe restaged an exorcism once performed on her in the early 1960s when she was a little girl. Possessed by the lecherous entity known as the Kalu Kumara, the Sanni Yakuma healing ritual was performed over a 12-hour period.

Director

Rajee Samarasinghe

Countries

Sri Lanka United States

Year

2016

Primary Contact

Rajee Samarasinghe

Duration

14 mins

Producer

Rajee Samarasinghe

Director of photography

Rajee Samarasinghe

Art direction

Rajee Samarasinghe

Cinematographer

Rajee Samarasinghe

Editor

Rajee Samarasinghe

Costume design

Rajee Samarasinghe

Camera

Rajee Samarasinghe

Production designer

Rajee Samarasinghe

Set design

Rajee Samarasinghe

Script

Rajee Samarasinghe

Distribution (Worldwide)

Canadian Filmmakers Distribution Centre