I grew up in Sri Lanka surrounded by Geoffrey Bawa’s work.
I went to school at St Thomas Prep in a building he designed.
I grew up in Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte, riding my bike next to his Sri Lankan Parliament building.
I went on holiday throughout my childhood, staying with my family at the beautiful hotels he created all around Sri Lanka.
But I realized that I didn’t know anything about the man himself. Who was he, what influenced him, how was he uniquely Sri Lankan? So this documentary started as a personal journey for myself to learn more about the man: by exploring five of his buildings, and speaking to his collaborators, clients and contemporaries, I hoped to learn more about who he was and how he came to create such amazing experiences.
I believe Bawa is one of the most important architects of the 20th century and his work deserves to be celebrated internationally on a par with other architects like Frank Lloyd Wright, Oscar Niemayer and Luis Barragan. By showing the world the magic of his buildings, I hope to elevate his stature to the level of awareness he deserves globally.
How we shot the film comes from Bawa himself who said "A building can only be understood by moving around and through it and by experiencing the modulation and feel of the spaces one moves through -- from the outside into verandas, then rooms, passages, courtyards -- the view from these spaces into others, views through to the landscape beyond, and from outside the building, views back through rooms and into inner rooms and courts.”
Our goal when making this film was to teleport the viewer into these beautiful buildings and gardens, so they can experience what it feels like to be there - and to experience the ‘genius of the place’, the unique spiritual energy of each location, an idea where credit needs to be given to academic David Robson.
We also made use of drones to shoot spectacular never-been-seen-before, birds-eye views of his creations; showing how their context and landscapes influenced his designs, one flowing seamlessly into the other, to really explore the idea of ‘the inside is the outside…and how each building connects to ‘the genius of the place’, the unique spirit and energy of each location.
We were influenced by the films of Terence Malick, especially the way he shot nature in such poetic ways - as well as as the work of Sri lankan photographer Dominic Sansoni who has been capturing Sri Lanka’s beauty for decades.
Music was key to this project, with contributions from Sri Lankan artists like Ruwanga Samath, as well as international musicians which you can listen to on this Spotify playlist.
The film is a love letter to Bawa – but also a love letter to Sri Lanka. As a primarily Sri Lankan crew of filmmakers (see here for the full list), we wanted to create something that shows people the magic and wonder of our beautiful island in a way that makes them want to get on a plane and come visit the country and see the buildings for themselves.
Sri Lanka’s gorgeous beauty - from dense, lush jungles to dramatic ocean shores - is captured in dazzling 8K cinematography for the first time, resplendent with the wildlife and nature it is known around the world for.
Despite all the negative publicity surrounding Sri Lanka’s recent economic crisis, the country is back to normal - and in desperate need of visitors to come and help support the economy.
As Sri Lankans, it is our hope that this film will help inspire people around the world to visit this place of magic and wonder, and help our country in their time of need.Please share the trailer on YouTube and help us spread the word.
