“Rise From The Ashes”

The documentary called “No Fire Zone: The Killing Fields of Sri Lanka” directed by prominent filmmaker and journalist, Callum Macrae records what happened when the government of Sri Lanka told some 400,000 civilians to gather in what they described as "no fire zones" – and then subjected them to merciless, sustained shelling.

The most recent UN report suggests that as many as 70,000 civilians died in the last few months of the war in 2009, possibly more.

Lina Hendry who is in charge of the Freedom Film Festival (FFF), Malaysia’s most established annual human rights film festival that focuses on the themes of democracy, equality and good governance, was found guilty for screening the film.

Lina was charged under the Film Censorship Act 2002 for showing the documentary without a license. A global movement in her defense was started, which include more than 100 famous names signing a petition calling for her release. Read about it here.

"Rise From The Ashes" was one of the initiatives to help support the petition. This project took visual inspiration from the documentary itself to press on for Lena’s release. Rupa was motivated to conceptualize this work as a third-generation Sri Lankan descendant residing in Malaysia.