Filmed two years after the 2022 economic crisis in Sri Lanka, the documentary explores the impact of the crisis through multiple perspectives.
Democracy in Debt: Sri Lanka Beyond the Headlines is a 25-minute documentary that provides a multi-layered narrative about the universal challenges of governance, accountability, and the enduring spirit of democratic aspirations. This makes it relevant beyond Sri Lanka.
Following up on Sri Lanka's emergence from the 2022 political and economic crisis, the documentary offers a unique perspective that transcends national boundaries. Through the voices of villagers, policymakers, academics, and political representatives, it explores how the country coped with the crisis and highlights lessons that can be learned globally.
The film screening will be followed by a discussion with the filmmaker, Beena Sarwar, and Professor Jayati Ghosh. Both will join virtually.
Speakers
- Beena Sarwar is a multimedia journalist, editor, and documentary filmmaker from Pakistan who focuses on human rights, gender, media, and peace. She has been on the founding teams of several media ventures, including Himal Southasian magazine and Panos South Asia. She has contributed to various international media outlets, including Inter Press Service, BBC, Washington Post, and Al Jazeera. She is based in Boston, where she teaches journalism at Emerson College.
- Jayati Ghosh has taught economics at Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, and has been an economics professor at the University of Massachusetts Amherst since January 2021. She has advised governments in India and other countries, including as chairperson of the Andhra Pradesh Commission on Farmers’ Welfare in 2004. She was one of the 182 scholars who asked for Sri Lanka’s debt cancellation.
Agenda
- 7:00-7:15pm: Doors open
- 7:15-7:30pm: Introduction
- 7:30-8:00pm: Documentary screening
- 8:00-8:30pm: Discussion with Sarwar and Ghosh
- 8:30-9:00pm: Q&A