Sri Lanka - Modern Perspectives from an Ancient Melting Pot

Sri Lankan Film Spotlight: Shaun Seneviratne, aka Brown Shaun's new wave of Cinema

• Dee Gibson • Season 2 • Episode 7

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Exploring Cultural Displacement and Creative Narratives in Sri Lanka with Filmmaker Shaun Seneviratne. 

In this episode, we dive deep into the cultural layers of Sri Lanka through the eyes of Shaun Seneviratne, also known as Brown Shaun, an American Sri Lankan filmmaker and educator. Shaun discusses his debut feature film 'Ben and Suzanne: A Reunion in Four Parts,' which explores themes of cultural displacement and modern perspectives in Sri Lanka. The conversation covers Shaun's journey from growing up as the only Sri Lankan in a Southeast Asian community to becoming a filmmaker who brilliantly layers media and multiple perspectives. Additionally, Shaun provides insights into the essence of filmmaking, the importance of cultural heritage, and the broader implications of globalised culture on Sri Lanka's identity. A fascinating episode that sheds light on lesser-known Sri Lankan narratives and the importance of celebrating diversity in storytelling.

00:39 Meet Shaun: Filmmaker and Educator

01:14 Discussing 'Ben and Suzanne'

03:20 Shaun's Teaching Journey

04:36 The Art of Filmmaking

08:01 Future of Film and Technology

10:44 Shaun's Background and Inspiration

16:30 Exploring Cultural Displacement

23:00 Perceptions of Sri Lanka

26:08 Exploring Cultural Perspectives in Travel

27:26 The Story of Suzanne and Her Job

31:05 Economic Challenges and Social Issues in Sri Lanka

33:58 Future Projects and Personal Stories

37:17 Identity and Names: A Personal Journey

41:10 Highlighting Sri Lankan Creativity and Culture

About Shaun Seneviratne

Shaun Seneviratne is a filmmaker and educator based in New York. His first feature Ben and Suzanne, A Reunion in 4 Parts premiered at SXSW and will be in theaters and streaming this summer. He’s also the host of RohmerCast, a podcast dedicated to filmmaker Eric Rohmer.

Dee Gibson is the award winning designer and founder of boutique hotel Kalukanda House in Sri Lanka, www.kalukandahouse.com ~ Conde Nast Best Places to Visit in Asia 2024 & HIP Hotels Best Hotels 2025. You can follow on
instagram @deegibson2017 or @kalukandahouse

This podcast lifts the veil on what, and more importantly WHO this island is with conversations about all the things you never read about in the travel pages. Dee showcases a fascinating modern society reclaiming their identity and taking ownership of their narratives on the global stage. No subject is taboo so expect guests talking about everything from activism through art and yoga, why sari was modified by British colonisers, a performance on love and lust to episodes on forgotten heroines being narrated back into our history books and much more.

Welcome to Sri Lanka. Modern Perspectives from an ancient melting pot, the podcast that lifts the veil on what and more importantly, who makes up this beautiful island. In each episode, I interview Sri Lanka, change makers and creatives using their craft to create a positive impact. These are people you never get to hear about in your travel pages, and I think you should, after all travel, can be expansive and regenerative and is best served with a healthy dose of people. This is the island I get to see and I want to share it with all of you. This week my guest is Sean Senna, AKA Brown Sean. He's an American Sri Lankan filmmaker and educator, and he's just finished his first feature, Ben and Suzanne, a reunion in four parts, which was shot on location in Sri Lanka. His shorts screened at Nantucket, Montclair Cam Fest, San Diego, Asian, and Bushwick. He teaches at the Brooklyn Steam Center Co-hosts Roma cast and runs redacted screening. He's based in New York City. In the episode we talk about his film, Ben and Suzanne and Sean's take on making it weaving layers of media and perspectives together to create the final vision. He likens it to being part business, part cavalry, and part God. The film is about a couple who reunites in Sri Lanka. Ben of Indian descent is constantly mistaken for being Sri Lankan and is also at odds with his own Southeastern heritage. His girlfriend Suzanne, however, is white and Western, and is so immersed in her own version of Sri Lanka. She's become vegetarian, celibate, and is learning the language. Sean and I discussed the different layers of perceived culture displacement and the relationship having a rough patch set in a country decimated by economic crisis. Sean's the first American director to film a narrative film in Sri Lanka where the storyline is also Sri Lankan. So we talk about why his nickname is Brown Sean, what it's like to grow up as the only Sri Lankan in an entirely southeastern Asian community in the US and why he continues to pronounce his Sri Lankan name. His way. It's a brilliant episode, giving a different insight into Sri Lanka by a filmmaker using his craft to tell a story and get us to think about culture, what it means, and why it is so important to celebrate it.

dee-host849_5_05-30-2025_165113:

I am so happy to see you, Sean Senna. It's wonderful to be speaking to you over on the other side of the world, in the Sunny Bronx.

shaun-seneviratne--he-him-_4_05-30-2025_115113:

it's not sunny at all. It is a gloomy, rainy day, and I am in my dark cave.

dee-host849_5_05-30-2025_165113:

Yeah, I can see you on my screen and it just looks very atmospheric and moody with all the blue and the red lighting, so. your students are graduating today, right?

shaun-seneviratne--he-him-_4_05-30-2025_115113:

Yeah, so today's it's like the end of the year for the seniors. They're graduating today. We still have two more classes, but it's very much the end of the school year. We had a film festival recently for school, and I think of that as our film graduation. So for the last two weeks we've just been watching movies in class, which has been awesome, you know,'cause we don't really have time during class time to watch full movies.

dee-host849_5_05-30-2025_165113:

That's every student's dream, isn't it? Just turn up to class and sit in front of the

shaun-seneviratne--he-him-_4_05-30-2025_115113:

Yeah, exactly. Exactly. And also they know I'm gonna show them some cool stuff.

dee-host849_5_05-30-2025_165113:

Oh yeah. What is it that you teach at this School?

shaun-seneviratne--he-him-_4_05-30-2025_115113:

So I'm teaching at a school called, ethical Culture Fen School, and I teach film. prior to this, I'd been teaching in public school in Brooklyn. I've, taught at Pace University. I've been a teaching artist for Lincoln Center. Other arts organizations in New York. So I've been doing this, for a long time, since about 2013.

dee-host849_5_05-30-2025_165113:

That's interesting. You mentioned it's ethical culture, So do you look at things through a particular lens with your students? I.

shaun-seneviratne--he-him-_4_05-30-2025_115113:

Not in explicitly trying to tie it into the values of the school. But every time we watch a movie, I'm always like offering lenses for which we should watch it. Right? So two weeks ago we watched Wonka Wise first film as tears go by, and that one I really wanted us to look at Stylization. And then Earlier this week we watched Clerks which was, you know, a monumental movie for me, probably the most important movie in my life. And that one we were really looking for producing and screenwriting. So it's always about like trying to apply some kind of lens and not just watch it, you know, we are in a class and so how to get out of like, oh, we're just watching things for entertainment, but we should have. If we're trying to create art, trying to watch things with a specific eye for something related to the craft or the ideas in the movie making.

dee-host849_5_05-30-2025_165113:

Yeah. every filmmaker has a, some kind of message, it's not just a visual, is it that you generally, it's a way of communicating something.

shaun-seneviratne--he-him-_4_05-30-2025_115113:

Right, exactly. Exactly. But I, you know, I'm a firm believer in like, the style is the substance and because otherwise you could just read a plot description in Wikipedia, right? Like if you want the full story, and I think the way you communicate it is. The most important thing when it comes to making a film, otherwise you're not really utilizing the medium or it just feels like film theater in some way. You know, you have to think about what are the tools available to you and how can you craft like a specific kind of experience or vision that aligns with a certain kind of perspective. And you're thinking about how it's going to impact the audience or what it is that you're trying to show the audience. So, you know, it's like literature. What separates, I think literature from like, just like a book that you'll read is. A book that you'll read might have like great plot and you're really taken in by the story. But I think with literature it's the craft of the writing, right? Like if you read James Joyce or something like that, like you're looking at those sentences, the way that sentence is structured is what elevates it to the level of literature. Then just the story itself.

dee-host849_5_05-30-2025_165113:

Yeah, so, so interesting. And also, you know, when we watch something. We know when something's rubbish

shaun-seneviratne--he-him-_4_05-30-2025_115113:

Yes. Yeah.

dee-host849_5_05-30-2025_165113:

and we know when something's great. And it could be, I mean, so many layers to it. It's the way the actor uses their face and their voice and the way the camera comes in, pans in from different angles, or looks up and looks down. And the music, it's just a lot to put together. It's an incredible craft.

shaun-seneviratne--he-him-_4_05-30-2025_115113:

is, and it's like the hardest thing to do. It's like, I really think filmmaking is so difficult.'cause every, it's like part small business, you know, like each film project is essentially a small business that you're starting. So it's like always a startup. It's part the military.'cause then you need to, you know, like, kind of manage an entire cavalry, right? Like manage everybody and the entire process. And and also it's like you're trying to create. A vision of the world that's like really specific. And so, you know, in a certain sense, like you're playing God in a way and it's like, okay, cool. Like I am trying to create something that everybody is going to experience and it has to be this way. So, you know, you're always contending with the elements of control and then the elements of chance and how these two things can sort of blend together.

dee-host849_5_05-30-2025_165113:

I've got a question for you, which has just completely popped into my mind, which is the way I tend to do these things. As technology improves and we have AI and all of these other things that are just running a hundred miles an hour. You know, you are describing something and how you as a film director would look at something. Do you think there will ever be a day? I mean, surely there must be a day when I could sit and watch a film and put my VR headset on. And participate in the film, or actually be in this sort of 3D world of actors around me.

shaun-seneviratne--he-him-_4_05-30-2025_115113:

Yeah, I mean, I definitely think that's a possibility for the future, and I think that'll be a different kind of thing. You know,'cause the VR sort of technology already exists and no one's I. Done anything with it yet that's beyond just the realm of novelty. And I think there is something about the movie experience where it's like, okay, here it is. You are presented with something and you're going to sit and watch it and sort of accept it into your soul. And I think the participating factor then likens it a little bit more to like a game or something like that, which, you know, there's so many gamers and that is. Something people really enjoy. I'm not a big gamer, but that is something that people really enjoy but I do think that'll be a different thing. But there is going to be someone that makes something really interesting with that. Actually, this really great movie I saw I. Called the Human Surge three, and the way they filmed it was so interesting. So it's this experiential film, kind of dark hybrid, and actually part of it was shot in Sri Lanka. I think it was shot in like Sri Lanka, the Philippines, and Argentina. I. And it's like people that are on the fringes that are identify as queer, just like, living their lives. But the way they filmed it is they filmed it with a 360 camera, and then the way the director edited it was watching the 360 footage with a VR headset on and choosing to look at different things. So it's almost like going back into the space, going back into the time and exploring it. So when you're watching the movie, what you're seeing is what he chose to look at. After already recording everything, and I thought that was fascinating.

dee-host849_5_05-30-2025_165113:

That's amazing. So kind of literally being in his head

shaun-seneviratne--he-him-_4_05-30-2025_115113:

Yes.

dee-host849_5_05-30-2025_165113:

and selecting that's, it's so interesting. We're going completely off on a tangent. I think that would be so interesting. I'd love to get, I'd love to walk into a film and just be in the scene, but watching, you know, but.

shaun-seneviratne--he-him-_4_05-30-2025_115113:

Yeah.

dee-host849_5_05-30-2025_165113:

Yeah. Yeah. So anyway, anyway, we digress. But I'm I don't think that's that far away, but I'm, I've been so excited to talk to you because as you know, I'm talking to really interesting creative Sri Lankans around the world. And, you are obviously Sri Lankan, and you were telling me earlier that you were born in the US and you are now living in New York and working as you know, as a film teacher and also creating your own films and an all around creative, is that something that was always on the radar? I always like to ask people what they were thinking that they were gonna be doing at the age of 18. Did you think, yep, it's film and could you just walk into that career path? I.

shaun-seneviratne--he-him-_4_05-30-2025_115113:

Yeah, for sure. I think the first job I ever wanted was a comic book artist when I was like four. You know, I was really into comic books and I loved movies and then I, I was obsessed with Tim Burton's, Batman and Ghostbusters and things like that when I was a lot younger. But making movies never. Felt like a realistic option, you know? And like, that's not how, it was talked about at home. It's like, oh, that would be cool, but like, no one really ever like, makes it, you know, it's so hard to make it right. So, I was like, okay, yeah. You know, like still was thinking about different things, but I loved movies and then when I was 11, I saw the movie Clerks independent film, my first time seeing an independent film, and it was made in New Jersey. For$27,000 at a convenience store, which is the convenience store that the director and writer worked at. And I've never seen anything like it. I mean, also just like for an 11-year-old, like the vulgarity of the movie was just like amazing. Like I've heard curses that I've never heard before. So like on that level I was like, this is the coolest movie I've ever seen. But then also I was like, whoa, this was. This is the coolest movie I've ever seen, and it was made in this totally different way. And then that's when it sort of kicked in for me. It's like, whoa. Like there are other movies that exist. There are other ways. To make movies. And so, that's when I like really started to get more serious about it. And just like, you know, I was reading scripts and just like thinking about movies all the time and just trying to explore and watch as many movies as possible. And my dad was a little bit of a cinephile as well, and so he was able to introduce me to stuff like, he introduced me to Woody Allen and Ingmar Bergman and Stanley Kubrick and things like that. So it was really cool. And I was always creative, so I was playing music and I was playing in bands and things like that. And when it came, time to sort of apply to colleges you know, my, my parents are immigrant parents and I'm first generation, so very much like the practical side of things. You know, they were urging that, you know, and they were like, oh, well you could like minor in this and you should major in like economics or something like that. Right. Exactly. Exactly. And you know, I, at that point, I never touched a camera. I mean, this was like 2003, so like, not everybody had video cameras. We didn't have cell phones with cameras on'em that you could shoot things on. So I'd never touched a camera. And I went to Rutgers for undergrad and I did marketing and journalism, and then I minored in cinema studies. So I was studying film and doing like a more practical degree. but I still hadn't touched a camera. I was playing in a band and doing that stuff and writing for the newspaper at school. And then when I graduated it was 2008 and it was the recession and it was incredibly difficult to find a job. And I thought I would get this job at like, some cool magazine, like Interview magazine or New York Magazine or something like that. And it was just really tough. And I think that's when I had the moment of like. Whoa. It literally doesn't matter what you do in undergrad, it doesn't matter. And if you give yourself no other option, like you'll find a way to make money doing the thing that you love to do. And then I was like, all right, I'm gonna go to I. Grad school for film. And then this also coincided with when I was in a long distance relationship. And my girlfriend at the time went to work abroad in India for an NGO which was very much the inspo for Ben and Suzanne and. The first movie I ever made was actually for her birthday when she was abroad, and I put together this birthday video with like all of our friends and her family and we did like a music video and that was my first time ever making anything. So it's really funny that the first thing I ever made is directly tied to this feature film project. And so, yeah, like film, it's like once I went to school for it and I was like, I committed to it, film kind of became my life and I'm very lucky to have a life that is centered on the arts. You know, in terms of like I'll do screening series or I'll have a podcast on Eric Rome who's like my favorite director and I made short films and I teach film and my wife works in film and so we've really kind of. Built my life around the sort of art life in a lot

dee-host849_5_05-30-2025_165113:

Oh it's, it sounds amazing and it actually really doesn't surprise me that you've mentioned that you have a journalism background, because we're gonna come onto Ben and Suzanne in a minute, and it. I just felt like I was, as I was watching that there was this real commentary on lots of different things that we'll come onto. So I guess you are bringing all your skills in, aren't you? Your marketing, the journalism, the creative, all into it, and.

shaun-seneviratne--he-him-_4_05-30-2025_115113:

yeah, whenever you make like a work of art, you can't not bring in everything that you've sort of, had experience in doing, whether it's conscious or unconscious.

dee-host849_5_05-30-2025_165113:

Yeah. Yeah. And that's the true creative vein that goes into all of it, isn't it really? But let's talk about Ben and Suzanne. So this is why, in fact why I'm gonna hand it over to you to tell us what the film's about, because I've got lots of questions. So I hope you're ready for them. Tell us what the film is about.

shaun-seneviratne--he-him-_4_05-30-2025_115113:

Ben and Suzanne is a film about a couple in a long distance relationship. They reunite for what they think will be a romantic road trip through Sri Lanka. But when Suzanne's boss turns it into a work from home vacation things go awry. And so it's very much a movie about a couple that's loves each other, that's spent time apart trying to fill that gap and find a way to reconnect.

dee-host849_5_05-30-2025_165113:

And it's it's exciting that you've got a theatrical release of this coming up in July. And it's gonna be streamed and people can watch it. As well, kind of on screen. It's worth watching, but, so I've got lots of questions around the characters and you did, you've already said that the story was inspired by your own sort of long distance relationship, but in one of the opening scenes, ben, who is Sri Lankan. arrives in Sri Lanka and he finds Suzanne, who is a white Western woman and is really immersing herself into the culture. And it felt like there was this complete swap between, okay. Sri Lankan's gone Western and Western has become Sri Lankans. So

shaun-seneviratne--he-him-_4_05-30-2025_115113:

Yeah. Yeah.

dee-host849_5_05-30-2025_165113:

What was your kind of idea behind that?

shaun-seneviratne--he-him-_4_05-30-2025_115113:

Yeah, so actually the character of Ben is Indian, so it's like yet another level of displacement. And so you know, a lot of that was when I went to visit my girlfriend at the time, back in like 2009 in India. I. For what we thought was going to be a romantic road trip through India I felt really displaced as like a Sri Lankan over there.'cause everyone's speaking to me in Hindi. They assume that I'm Indian and I don't know any Hindi and I am not Indian. And my girlfriend was. There for three months and already speaking the language and accustomed to things and just knew how things operated. But then there would be weird things where we'd go to the Taj Mahal and I would get the local discount price. Like, you know, I would just go onto that local line and not say a word.'cause then that would give up everything and then she would have to go to the tourist line. And so I just thought there were a lot of really interesting. Sort of like an interesting cultural conversation to be had over there of like displacement in some ways and adopting to a place in some ways and how these different things can interact. So yeah, that was like a lot of like my experience and my idea over there. And there's a point in the movie, Satya Ben's talking about it, where Suzanne's, like, what's your experience been in Sri Lanka? And it's like, I, you know, don't really feel at home in India. And I thought, when I'm in India and when I'm here in Sri Lanka or in the us, I stick out everywhere I go. There's no place where it feels like, just like completely. Organic for you to be, and I thought, and that, that was like an improvised scene too. So that's also very much like Satya talking about his experience as well and Suzanne and Anastasia talking about her experience. So yeah, that's the idea for the characters and I mean, there's so much more to like the characters as well too and so much more that like influenced it. But like that is part of like the cultural conversation and where that.

dee-host849_5_05-30-2025_165113:

Yeah. And that comes across really strongly. And I think it, it would resonate with so many people. I'm seeing a real interest in people sort of digging into their own heritage. And obviously we are both Sri Lankan. So for us, we're kind of peeling back the layers of layers, what happened with our ancestors. I mean, even just one or two generations removed. We feel so disconnected. And there it is a huge section of society, the diaspora who are really intrigued about their culture, but also don't feel.

shaun-seneviratne--he-him-_4_05-30-2025_115113:

Yeah.

dee-host849_5_05-30-2025_165113:

Comfortable to go and dig into it.

shaun-seneviratne--he-him-_4_05-30-2025_115113:

Yeah. I mean I think it's like an interesting place sort of in the diaspora now where like you have a lot of, creatives evolve from all different aspects of all the different diasporas that are claiming like a culture. But it's also I sometimes it feels like it comes from a little bit of a defensiveness. Like it's when Indian or South Asian folks will complain about white people appropriating yoga. But they've never done yoga or gave a shit about yoga any kind of cultural way until it became this appropriated thing. So I see this irony and sometimes I feel like it can come from a place of like, I don't know, some, somewhere more negative than it is positive. When we harp on certain things, like I'll follow that Instagram account, like the juggernaut, and sometimes I feel like there's a lot of complaining to just hear things be heard when we also don't do the actions. So that's something that definitely like I, I think about. With the diaspora. I think what was interesting for me is like I grew up in Jersey and I grew up in Edison, New Jersey, and I'm not sure if you're familiar with the lore of Edison, New Jersey, but it

dee-host849_5_05-30-2025_165113:

No.

shaun-seneviratne--he-him-_4_05-30-2025_115113:

the most, I think maybe the most densely populated South Asian population in the US or if not one of the most densely populated South Asian populations. And I grew up in like a townhouse community and like everybody was Indian and some Pakistani, I was the only Sri Lankan. And so for me growing up, like, and when I also hear folks from the diaspora talk, it's like, oh, I was always sticking out. And for me it was the opposite. I was in something that felt a homogenous population and so for me it really felt more like. Well, I'm not thinking of like race and background and culture because I am like sort of surrounded by it. So I found myself through my interests and for me it was like skateboarding and music and comic books and movies and so many of the other folks were more like into sports and things like that. And so I think I was really. Constructing my identity more on like the things that I loved and art, because it didn't feel like I was in this position of needing to assimilate in some ways. And so, it's kind of different, you know, it's not the same exact narrative of a lot of other folks that are part of the diaspora.

dee-host849_5_05-30-2025_165113:

Yeah. Yeah, I get that. I completely get what you are saying. It's you were immersed in that sort of Southeast Asian bubble as opposed to being in a village or a town somewhere where you know, you are in the minority. I get that. But you seem to have really captured something else for me in the film as well, which is another observation I have. This is why I have so many questions for you, Sean, because it's like, did he mean to do that? I, that really feels like it was deliberate. But another one of my observations is that people outside of Sri Lankan's, Sri Lanka, people outside of Sri Lanka. Including diaspora, including myself, if I'm completely honest, before I traveled back there a few years ago, have a perception which is this very sentimental, cute, beautiful old world view of Sri Lanka, which obviously then you arrive and it's so progressive and it's absolutely up there bang on with the rest of the world and the 21st century.

shaun-seneviratne--he-him-_4_05-30-2025_115113:

and especially that.

dee-host849_5_05-30-2025_165113:

Yeah. Well what I noticed in the film was there's that beautiful bit where, ben wants to he, they have a bet. He says, I want to show you the star trooper film. And she said, you are never gonna get that in Sri Lanka. And they walk into the first video shop they see, which looks like it's very traditional. And the guy brings off the show. And I thought, that's so funny, isn't it? That she just assumed that, oh no, this is. This is just Sri Lanka. You're not gonna find that kind of thing over here. Or she's kind of going vegan and she stopped drinking and all of that kind of stuff, absorbing this kind of really old style perception of culture.

shaun-seneviratne--he-him-_4_05-30-2025_115113:

Yeah. Yeah. And it's not until he's there that it's like, oh, realizing these things, it happens again with the book where he's like, oh, I'd love to go to a bookstore. And, you know, just thinking of all the things he loves doing and in a American town on vacation. And she's like, oh, well all the books are gonna be in Tamal and Sinhala. And then he found a book that's in English and.

dee-host849_5_05-30-2025_165113:

yeah. I love the fact that you are using your. Medium of film to kind of have all these different layers of commentary,

shaun-seneviratne--he-him-_4_05-30-2025_115113:

Yeah.

dee-host849_5_05-30-2025_165113:

onanism on perceptions, on heritage, on duality.

shaun-seneviratne--he-him-_4_05-30-2025_115113:

Yeah, and people and just like all the different types of people and class. Like the first time when we meet Priti, who is Suzanne's manager, she's in this like beautiful, huge estate. And then you see where Suzanne is living and in a very humble home in the middle of. The country, like close to Seager area. And then you see these different hotels of different levels and then you have the driver and you have the pool hall guy who's like your typical sort of beach boy. And the last time I was in Sri Lanka, I was in Ella. And then we walked by a bar and I swear I saw the same scene happen that happens in the movie where. There's this western woman and her husband or boyfriend or whoever, and the pool hall guy is showing her how to play pool and 30 minutes later we walk by this same bar and he literally has his arms around her showing her how to play pool. I was like, oh my God. it's so typical and it's so funny. So it's like, what are all these interesting things that we can show interesting layers of who is here in Sri Lanka? Like the drug dealers are Expats living in Sri Lanka, you know, from Australia and from England. And the bank manager is a Colombo sort of guy living in Sri Lanka. So it's like, I think we really get to see all these different aspects, but never, you know, I hate to make a didactic film, and so all of this stuff is just Part of the story, it's part of the texture, and I'm not making it. I'm not putting these things there to make a specific point. It's all just to be really organic to the reality of. What it is like to travel. And then the way we see travel, it's through the lens very much of a sort of western perspective. And that's why like we don't translate any of the Sinha or Tamil that's being spoken where it's like, okay, if you don't know those languages, you really are watching it as someone that has just traveled over here. And we can surmise what Muhammad is talking to the gas station attendant about, but we're not gonna fully know until context is expounded upon later on.

dee-host849_5_05-30-2025_165113:

Yeah. Yeah. it feels very natural. I mean, at very least if you just watch it, it's just pleasurable to watch because it's a really lovely story to watch. You know, the sort of the headline bit of it for me was, okay, there's, a long distance couple trying, you know, he's trying to reunite. She doesn't seem all that interested. And it, you know, at its simplest level that's what you see. But I really wanted to pick your brains on how and why you'd put this film together. I mean, there's another part of it where, suzanne is, I don't think we're giving away any spoilers here, but Suzanne, you know, wants to spend some time with her boyfriend. She just has to do some work for her boss who is in the business of economic integrity. And I sat there thinking, what on earth is economic integrity? And then we find out it's a fancy word for debt collector.

shaun-seneviratne--he-him-_4_05-30-2025_115113:

Yep.

dee-host849_5_05-30-2025_165113:

And that made me also kind of smile a little bit because. There are so many different ways that we dress up all these different titles And again I wasn't sure if that was something that you had, was sort of putting into the narrative as an observation.

shaun-seneviratne--he-him-_4_05-30-2025_115113:

Yeah. I mean, yeah. So I could talk a lot about Suzanne and sort of like her job and what that is. You know, I was I. One is like, I think it's very much the story of somebody that really has good intentions and wanted to do something meaningful that felt like she was able to contribute to something positive in the world. And what is more sad and depressing than realizing the thing that you were a part of is actually the most detrimental and you are creating this direct harm. So it's this thing that's couched in optimism. But in doing it, anything that's sort of tied to a larger capitalist sort of institution is always going to be tied to that. And have all the same issues that capitalism sort of instills in every other part of the world. So like an NGO and I did so much research and like reading like truly tragic stories of like things that have gone on in Southeast Asia and Africa and India, where. They create the, you know, the micro loan sort of situation where it's like there to the farmer or who someone that wants to start a business here is like a thing. And it's like, it's such a small amount of money in terms of Western dollars, but it's a huge amount of money to, to these folks that are taking these loans. But what happens when you can't pay that loan back? And there's some truly tragic stories I was like, I don't want to go deep into it, but I wanna hint at what is happening over there, or talk about what's happening. But I don't need to get into the sort of torture, porny part of it all, And so I think the first time a lot of people watch it, that a lot of the sympathy is towards Ben. And it's kind of like with 500 days of summer where you watch it again, and then you're like, oh, wait, I completely understand what Suzanne's going through. It's like, how can she put herself in this relationship when she's probably the most depressed she's ever been in her life? The things that. We're valuable to her. She's actively a part of the thing that's hurting people. And so how can you put that side aside and just like be able to live your relationship when there's this thing that's really affecting you. And so that's something I really wanted to explore. And with her, we get to really see like, what is the state of modern work. You know, you can't escape it ever. And you're always going to be working. And there's very much this thing of like work brain versus vacation brain and folks that are, that think they can multitask and are doing things on their phone all the time and you just want to be with the person. And there's this line in the film where he is like, can you get off your phone and fucking talk to me? Right. And. Like it's but it's so hard to disconnect and especially if it feels like I need to try to make it better for someone. And so there there's so much I think that's at stake for Suzanne and she keeps it to herself. Like she doesn't wanna burden anyone else and she doesn't want to make their relationship about her complaining about work all the time, but it's something that she tries to put on like a smiling face about. And but it's really eating her up inside.

dee-host849_5_05-30-2025_165113:

Yeah. Yeah. It, that comes across and it is set in a time where we're sort of. Post economic crisis as well, but the Sri Lanka is in many quarters, still very much in it still recovering, and there are people who are really struggling. So it's interesting to see. How difficult it can be at grassroots level because it's wonderful to have tourists coming to the island, but there, there does need to be an understanding that, you know, you travel to somewhere like Sri Lanka and everyone expects it to be a cheap holiday or your. Dollar goes a or your pound goes a really long way because the, you know, the exchange rate is such, but actually the reality is, but that's great for you and your holiday. But we really need to start thinking about if the money is trickling into the system and people can afford, to live above the poverty line.

shaun-seneviratne--he-him-_4_05-30-2025_115113:

yeah, no, people are struggling there. it's not easy. And everything has also gotten so expensive if you're local in Sri Lanka, that it's quite difficult to feel like you're coming out ahead in any way.

dee-host849_5_05-30-2025_165113:

Absolutely. I've noticed over the past couple of years myself that the crisis and the Arag Golia and you know, when everyone was in up in arms and there was a regime change, it was all created by the people, which was fantastic. But there's also been this incredible. Outpouring of creativity, which was always there, but a real mushrooming of everything coming out. And also people who were living on the margins of society. And I know that there are it still does happen, but. for the L-G-B-T-Q community who always really had to stay in the shadows a bit. Really having a moment and being celebrated and celebrating themselves. And there's a lot of, I. Work that's gone into celebrating all of that. So it's interesting to me how on the one hand there's this island that's really still trying to get back on its feet in debt, et cetera. But almost because of that, there's been so much innovation and people are finding their voices.

shaun-seneviratne--he-him-_4_05-30-2025_115113:

that's true. When things are in flux things can get created, right? And so it's not always a bad thing. When things are stable, that's when things become a little bit more conservative In a comfortable position and comfort. Most people will value comfort over anything else. And so you, nothing will ever be done to disrupt that. And so it's only in this, these moments of like major flux where something new can arise.

dee-host849_5_05-30-2025_165113:

Yeah, so that's a, that's an interesting sort of point to move on to. Is this are you wanting to do sort of more, would you like to go and work in Sri Lanka for a while? Are you wanting to create more stories around the island and Sri Lanka people?

shaun-seneviratne--he-him-_4_05-30-2025_115113:

Yeah, so there's my next movie is gonna be set in the US and then a movie that I'm thinking about for my third movie. I just needed a little bit of distance from it to work on it, but it's about when my mom when I was taking care of my mom before she had passed away, and so it takes place in, in Las Vegas and I was there for months and, and then we had to uproot everything and transition to Sri Lanka. And so it's like, it would be first half of the movie in Vegas, second half of the movie in Sri Lanka. And sort of exploring this kind of like family relationships and things like that over there. And so I very much would love to go back to Sri Lanka and film and especially that's gonna be like yet another personal story. And. Yeah, I just think there's al the, making a film in a place really allows you to get into it and understand how it works. You know, you're working in the country and you're working with people that are from the country that know more about the country than you'll ever know. And so it's that balance of A naive perspective or just well I don't know everything. And then you're seeing it with a certain kind of freshness, but you also have the knowledge of people that do know how it works. And I think it's it's really cool to make a film in another country and also working with everyone in Sri Lanka like. The crews were amazing. We had this amazing production company over there, Visionworks lk run by Michael Mala, and he's just a, an incredible line producer. And so yeah, I would absolutely, I plan on going back to Sri Lanka to make a film, and I do think, like my retirement plan very much would be to end up in Sri Lanka. That's where my dad is living now, and he's retired over there and I feel like. What, whatever's happening with world economy, it seems like maybe the only place that seems feasible to, to have a kind of comfortable sort of retirement life if you're coming from the US I.

dee-host849_5_05-30-2025_165113:

Yeah, sure. So your dad's gone back, you said that they were first generation immigrants to the years. How has he found it?

shaun-seneviratne--he-him-_4_05-30-2025_115113:

he loves it. I think he loves being back there and he's able to live comfortably and kind of start a second life over there, which like, you know, now I have stepbrothers and he's in a relationship and there's people around him and it's like, I, I. It's really cool'cause he, you know, my dad had a hard time here in the US and not for, you know, I don't want to go like too deep into it on the pod, but I think the being in Sri Lanka was able to give him a second lease on, on life and in a lot of ways. And so it's been really wonderful for him.

dee-host849_5_05-30-2025_165113:

Like a fresh start. Sri Lanka is definitely a perfect place for people to. Have wellness journeys and retreat themselves and get back into nature and just really discover how beautiful, simple things can be. So it's interesting to hear that he's really, even as a Sri Lankan, going back, I. Of having that experience of rejuvenation and next chapter. That's really lovely to hear. I've got another question for you, Sean. Now I know that you have a Monica, which is Brown, Sean, so what's that about?

shaun-seneviratne--he-him-_4_05-30-2025_115113:

Yeah, I mean that's been my kind of name and internet handle since I was like 16 or 17 years old. And it all started in gym class and we were. You know, playing like football or soccer or something like that in school. And they were like trying to pass the ball and they were like Sean catching, and there was another Sean that was there too, and I was like, I don't know who you're talking to, whether you're getting mad that we're not catching the ball. So I was like, okay, call me Brown Sean and call him Fat Sean. yeah, I mean, sadly, you know, then and

dee-host849_5_05-30-2025_165113:

Oh no.

shaun-seneviratne--he-him-_4_05-30-2025_115113:

like, and then not just that it stuck, but then I made it. Made it sort of like my name and it's like, you know,'cause it is sort of like uncommon. Which then funnily enough was not as uncommon as I thought. And then there was another kid at my school that transferred in, Sean Raja, Tamel, Sri Lankan. And I was like, whoa, okay. There's like two brown Seans. Then later in college I met another dude named Sean another, and so, but you know what? I was the first one to dub

dee-host849_5_05-30-2025_165113:

The og.

shaun-seneviratne--he-him-_4_05-30-2025_115113:

the brown, Sean. And then another sort of interesting thing with name is I actually pronounce my last name sni. And that's just how I always said it. And I had this like weird sort of like identity moment where when I went back to Sri Lanka and I was hearing people say my name, and this was more recently, and everyone saying Sonna, and I was like, oh.

dee-host849_5_05-30-2025_165113:

Which is what I said as

shaun-seneviratne--he-him-_4_05-30-2025_115113:

Right, exactly.'cause that is the traditional way to say it. And I remember then coming back here and I remember going into class and it was like, I am no longer sni. I am sna. And that's how it's like actually said. And then I was saying it, and it just, I don't know, it just didn't feel right. I. Saying it that way. And then I remember talking to my dad and I was like, Hey dad, how come you never corrected me growing up? You know, I always said center ney. And I never said it in a way to like make it easier for white people to say it. You know, I have friends that'll change the way they pronounce their name to make it easier for other people to say it. That was never my intention. And then I was like, dad, like how come, you never corrected me? And he was like, well, you know, that's just how you were saying your name and it's your name and you could say it how you wanna say it. And it wasn't my place to say that's wrong. And I felt that was really empowering and really cool. And then I reclaimed Senator Ney.'cause that's just what felt natural. It's like, your name is your name and it might be right. To say it a different way, but how does it feel right to say for you? And I felt like a lot of ownership in that. So, yeah. So when Sri Lankans hear me say it, they're like, oh, that's not how you say it. It's like, well, that, that is how I say it. And then there's reason behind, and it's not coming from like a, me trying to whitey the name in any way. It's just really just like how I started saying it. And my dad never corrected me.

dee-host849_5_05-30-2025_165113:

Yeah. it's interesting how name does become really important, especially in this day and age of migratory patterns and people reclaiming their heritage and, you know, looking into backgrounds and things like that. It is so fascinating.

shaun-seneviratne--he-him-_4_05-30-2025_115113:

Yeah, it's like in starting teaching over here at my previous school, I was Mr. Sean and part of that was like, you know. with the students that I was working with, I wanted to create a sort of more safer environment. Like, hey, I'm also your mentor and I could be your friend and social emotional support. And at this new school I was sort of a rebrand. And I'm Mr. Center Barney. And I think it's also cool, like you need to say my name and you need to get used to saying this name. And so, I think it's, it is good to sort of challenge people to say a difficult name

dee-host849_5_05-30-2025_165113:

I actually love what you said just a few moments ago about how we shouldn't bend ourselves out of shape to make it easier for others to be able to pronounce our name. And it's one of the things that I'm interested in doing. One of the reasons of this for this podcast is really to change the narrative around Sri Lanka. We were talking about your film Ben and Suzanne, and these kind of perceptions, which are. N not all these perceptions are correct and I can see that it's wrong and you are addressing it in your film and so changing the narrative is something that I'm really interested in and you've just kind of pointed out to me, I suppose it's state, the bleeding obvious until, but it's not obvious until someone points it out to you that these sort of micro elements that we allow to happen in our lives can be sort of death by a thousand cuts.

shaun-seneviratne--he-him-_4_05-30-2025_115113:

Yeah.

dee-host849_5_05-30-2025_165113:

In many ways, so just gotta be vigilant and make sure people say our names.

shaun-seneviratne--he-him-_4_05-30-2025_115113:

Right, right. Totally. Totally. And like Sri Lanka names are not as common, you know?'cause we are a smaller part of the diaspora wherever we go. Right. And so then people become, you know, Indian names become more commonplace, but our names are still, you know, exotic to a certain degree.

dee-host849_5_05-30-2025_165113:

Absolutely. So with your work you know, as we said earlier, you are bringing your theatrical release out in July of this year for your story, do you think we will ever see it on our stages in the UK or anywhere else in the world for that matter?

shaun-seneviratne--he-him-_4_05-30-2025_115113:

we did, when we were doing our festival stuff, we were all over the world. I got to premier it in Sri Lanka, which was an amazing experience. And right now we don't have a international distributor, so our distributor will be distributing it to. You know, us like English speaking territories and things like that. And so if I could organize something with a. A distributor or a festival or a cinema screening sort of group, That would be the way for me to get it out there. But I think very much it's gonna feel more us release unless we're able to get like an international distributor. That being said, I hope it ends up on torrent sites and. People are like bootlegging the movie. I have, I really have no issue with that. And you know, once our license expires for the distribution, I'm probably just gonna upload the full movie to YouTube. So way to just discover the movie because

dee-host849_5_05-30-2025_165113:

Oh, amazing.

shaun-seneviratne--he-him-_4_05-30-2025_115113:

Just make it accessible and In these years, how to have it still get out there in the world, get good reviews and continue that conversation. So if people are like, are there any Sri Lankan films? It's like, oh, actually there is, you know, this Sri Lankan film and we're the first narrative feature. From a Sri Lanka American director to have filmed in Sri Lanka. You know, there's been documentary projects and maybe hybrid projects and shorts, but like this is the first feature film. That, and that also really uses Sri Lanka as Sri Lanka. Like Sri Lanka in movies is always a backdrop for some other places like Deepa, Metha films there, because India doesn't allow her to film. Her movies in India. Right, but she's using it as India, right? Like it is a stand in for India or there's that British hospital show.

dee-host849_5_05-30-2025_165113:

Good Karma Hospital. And I was gonna ask you about that actually, and just say how amazing it is that you've actually said this is set in Sri Lanka. It's quite unusual. I'm sure that's gonna create a big buzz and a lot of excitement.

shaun-seneviratne--he-him-_4_05-30-2025_115113:

I mean, you know what was cool when I showed it in Sri Lanka, I. The audience was so happy with it. And there were so many people were like saying like, you're showing the real Sri Lanka. This feels like a real movie. And not like, you know, especially in Sri Lanka. there's a lot of independent cinema, but there's also a lot of the tele aama stuff and the stuff that's more influenced by Bollywood or the things that are more influenced by a certain kind of heightened storytelling. And so this one has a level of realism and just like, this is what it is. An observation that I think feels really refreshing and different.

dee-host849_5_05-30-2025_165113:

Yeah. Yeah, absolutely. I can't believe we're coming to the end of our time

shaun-seneviratne--he-him-_4_05-30-2025_115113:

I know. I feel like there's still so much to

dee-host849_5_05-30-2025_165113:

So much to talk about. Oh my God, we just barely sketched this. I always say this to my love. It's like, great. This is an opportunity to have another recording. But but before we close, I would love to have your thoughts, Sean on, Sri Lanka. I do feel that the islands that the country is in, there's a fantastic opportunity. Of a more golden age for Sri Lankans and for the island. And I know there's some work to be done, but why do you think it's important for us to shine a light on Sri Lankan creatives the way this podcast is doing

shaun-seneviratne--he-him-_4_05-30-2025_115113:

Yeah, I mean I have some thoughts on the sort of golden age stuff as well and'cause I'm curious about that, right? I think as culture gets flattened, as like, you know, everything is completely globalized. So sort of western culture becomes global culture and you really feel that in Colombo, you know, and just like this sort of, amongst the young people over there, this separation from what things have always been. And there's a moment in the movie. That I think speaks to like, you know, I guess in some ways I'm just always nostalgic for a world we never got to sort of exist in and live in. And there's a scene where it's like we're in the Dumbo caves and the Buddhist statues and we're seeing this thing from like thousands of years ago, right? And We're getting a sense of just like, whoa, this is what the world was. And then we hard cut to a spreadsheet, to an Excel spreadsheet. And to me that is a truly depressing cut. It's like we lived our lives in such a different way and now we live it in this way that I think is really disconnected from culture, that's disconnected from spirit, that's disconnected from, just I don't know, like maybe like, our purpose in life and just what being a human being is like really all about. And so, you know, I think about that a lot. And so when I think of Sri Lanka now, it's like there's a right, there's a moment in the film where there's this long walk and talk and they're walking and the beginning of the shot is the golf face hotel. And so you're seeing like a relic of a sort of colonial past England coming in and building this beautiful old hotel. And then they're walking. They're walking, and as the camera pans when the shot ends, you see Port City, which is the new sort of Chinese money development where they're building, extending the island. It's like a manmade part of the island, and they're trying to turn it into a new Singapore in a lot of ways. And it's like, okay, well if this is what the future is, then it's a sort of capitalist, globalized future that's still then rooted in finance in a lot of ways. So it's like we've gone from this one sort of thing. And now we're entering into this next sort of thing. And I guess my question is, you know, how will sort of the traditions and cultures really continue to prevail? And not just in Sri Lanka, but in every other part of the world too, where this is happening everywhere. And so, I don't know, I think that's something we need to be really intentional about not losing these things that are a part of a rich history and tradition and culture and heritage. So. Yeah, and when I think about the Sri Lankan diaspora, I think what's important and what's really cool about your podcast is people talk about the diaspora and it's always just about India. It's everything is about India. and then you'll have like Indian folks from the diaspora speaking about like the South Asian diaspora. But I it really feels like what can we do as Indians to sort of make ourselves a part of the conversation? So. It feels like they're trying to include everyone in a sort of like loose sense of like, oh, this is the diaspora. But like, it also feels about like India and Indians doing things. And so we don't hear about artists from Bangladesh. We don't hear about artists from Pakistan. We don't hear about artists from Sri Lanka. So I think it's critical to really highlight that in a specific way. Otherwise it does get lost in the conversation because. India is the more dominant country, and the Indian diaspora is the bigger diaspora. And so that tends to dominate the entirety of the conversation, I find.

dee-host849_5_05-30-2025_165113:

Yeah. Oh God, that's so true. And I think if you are not Southeast Asian and you don't have experience of traveling around that part of the world, you don't have friends. From that part of the world. It's just over there somewhere. Everyone's the same and the Sri Lanka is so different.

shaun-seneviratne--he-him-_4_05-30-2025_115113:

is so different. You know,

dee-host849_5_05-30-2025_165113:

So different.

shaun-seneviratne--he-him-_4_05-30-2025_115113:

I was at a, a bar in Colombo and it was kind of like a sort of touristy bar, like a sort of modern cocktail bar and I forget, it's called like uncles, I think it's

dee-host849_5_05-30-2025_165113:

Oh yeah. Uncles. Yeah.

shaun-seneviratne--he-him-_4_05-30-2025_115113:

it's kind of interesting. It's like, oh, over there, it's like you go in and it's like you're seeing all the posh like, Colombo folks, and they just feel, it's like, you know, they're adopting like Western everything. But there's a really interesting moment where it was the Sri Lankan bartender talking to an Indian tourist, and both of them, you know, and the Indian tourists had. Their Indian accent and I was like, oh, I wish I could record this conversation for people that just think we are the same and we look the same and we sound the same. Because That was my first time ever hearing it, like in conversation together. It's like, whoa. the languages and the cadence and the way the language lils and the things we pronounce, like it couldn't be more different at all. Yeah,

dee-host849_5_05-30-2025_165113:

it sounds like we've just found two new characters for.

shaun-seneviratne--he-him-_4_05-30-2025_115113:

I think so. That would be a great buddy movie. Yeah,

dee-host849_5_05-30-2025_165113:

Oh, Sean, it's been such a pleasure to meet you and have you on and listen to you. I feel like we've just scratched

shaun-seneviratne--he-him-_4_05-30-2025_115113:

I know. Let's do a part two. This was such a great conversation and I,

dee-host849_5_05-30-2025_165113:

Absolutely.

shaun-seneviratne--he-him-_4_05-30-2025_115113:

yeah, I'd love to continue it in some way.

dee-host849_5_05-30-2025_165113:

For sure, I would definitely make sure that happens. Thanks Sean. I'll speak.

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