Movie on Tamil gang violence to be screened April 9
Movie on Tamil gang violence to be screened April 9. Thelepan Somasegaram, left, and Deva Gasperson appear in the Tamil anti-violence film, ‘1999’. Supplied photoBRAD PRITCHARD
April 2, 2010
When the Toronto-made movie 1999 made its debut at the Vancouver International Film Festival (VIFF) in October, the Tamil Canadian community praised it for its “rare and powerful story” about the violence that swept Sri Lankan immigrants living in Scarborough in the late 1990s.
During this time period, the war between rival gangs – the VVT and AK Kannans – brought forth bloodshed and violence onto the streets, resulting in a number of shooting deaths.
The film drew inspiration from a 19-year-old named Palasanthiran, a university student who was gunned down at a doughnut shop 13 years ago. Despite never having been involved in gangs, he was sucked into this vicious conflict, and paid the ultimate price: his life.
The story in 1999 follows three teens after a fatal gang shooting like this, which sets a series of life-changing events into motion.
The characters in the movie are based on real-life former gang members. Director Lenin M. Sivam said he learned a lot by talking to these ex-gangsters, many of whom regretted their lives of crime, and that they expected the film to bring an end to the cycle of destruction.
“They really think through my movie they will bring an awareness, so these things will not happen again,” he said in an interview with The Mirror last September. (See previous story at /www.insidetoronto.com/news/local/article/151934 )
The film also highlights the double-sided war many young Tamils battle here in Toronto, as the teens try to move past the unpleasant memories of the civil war in Sri Lanka, but at the same time, struggle with fitting into Canadian society.
1999 was ranked as one of the top ten films at VIFF and also won best film award at the Oslo Tamil Film Festival this year.
It will be hitting the screen once again at the 10th annual ReelWorld Film Festival in Toronto. The five-day festival, which runs from April 7 to 11, screens full-length features, shorts, documentaries and animation pieces made by members of multi-racial communities.
1999 will be screened on Friday, April 9 at 5 p.m. at the Canada Square Cinemas, located at 2190 Yonge St.
For more information, visit www.1999movie.com
– with files from Mike Adler
