Video

Super 8 Tsunami

Sarah Lightbody

2008, 29:35 minutes, colour, English

TAPECODE 938.00

Super 8 Tsunami is a fictive portrait of a mythical island and the impact of a massive tsunami upon its inhabitants. The story concerns a family of gifted puppet makers who are forced to perform for the opening night of the ruling Raja’s private theatre. Life is hard on the island, as most villagers work for the Raja, who is a bitter, stingy, and selfish man. Things take a turn for the worse when the Raja falls in love with one of the puppets featured in the opening performance. As the Raja witnesses a kiss from the puppet toward her lover, he wreaks havoc in the palace threatening to behead just about everybody. As the family of puppet makers scramble to make their getaway, a massive tsunami strikes the island, destroying much of the population, and a complete breakdown in the feudalist social order takes place. Hard lessons are learned as the island is rebuilt, yet cause for celebration is found in themes of forgiveness, determination, love, and empathy.

The film is shot in Super 8mm and comprises live action vignettes, choreographed dance sequences, and stop-motion animations.

Super 8 Tsunami is a collaborative project between children living in St. James Town and a number of Toronto-based artists. The project was initiated in the summer of 2005 by Art City in St. James Town - a drop-in-arts-centre for children and youths living in St. James Town, Toronto – and was completed in the winter of 2008. Many of the children who participated in Super 8 Tsunami come from families who arrived in Canada as Tamil political refugees from Sri Lanka, persecuted by the Sinhalese ethnic group dominant in Sri Lanka. Many of these children have family and friends who were devastated by the 2004 Tsunami. This catastrophic event is the inspiration behind the story of Super 8 Tsunami. The a capella songs scored to the picture are traditional Tamil hymns sung by two of the participating children.

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