Venice-Bound ‘Little Jaffna’ Director Lawrence Valin on Sri Lankan Tamil Diaspora Experience in France and Turning Down Jacques Audiard’s ‘Dheepan,’ Clip Unveiled (EXCLUSIVE)
variety.comNaman Ramachandran Lawrence Valin‘s feature directorial debut “Little Jaffna” is set to make its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival.
The first clip has been unveiled from the film. The film, which Valin also co-wrote and stars in, explores the Tamil diaspora experience in France through the prism of gang culture in the area of central Paris known informally as Little Jaffna, named after the capital city of the Northern Province of Sri Lanka.
It is set against the backdrop of the Sri Lankan civil war, which ravaged the island nation from 1983 to 2009. Valin, a French-Tamil filmmaker, developed the project after his experiences acting in and directing short films.
His journey to “Little Jaffna” was influenced by his involvement with Jacques Audiard’s Cannes Palme d’Or-winning film “Dheepan” (2015), which also dealt with the Sri Lankan Tamil experience in France. “I got the audition to pass the casting for ‘Dheepan’ for the main role,” Valin told Variety. “When I passed the audition, I was like, ‘Okay, this is a life chance to work with Jacques Audiard, one of the best French directors.’ I love his work.” However, after three months, Valin was offered a background role instead of the lead. “I was like, ‘Man, I passed the audition for the main role… and I said, ‘No, thanks.'” This experience proved pivotal for Valin’s career trajectory. “After that I started to think that I have to direct.
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