A Flower Falling Back Into the Earth
Synopsis
Built from material shot in the regions of Sri Lanka, the film creates an elusive portrait of a woman whose son disappeared during the civil war. A personal story becomes a meditation on memory, absence and the impossibility of fully capturing trauma — on what the camera can see, and what will always remain outside the image.
About the Director
Rajee Samarasinghe (b. 1988, Colombo, Sri Lanka) is a filmmaker and artist who began as an illustrator. He holds a BFA from UC San Diego and an MFA in Film from CalArts. For over a decade he has made short films blending interviews, re-enactments and surreal imagery exploring memory and the legacy of the Sri Lankan Civil War. His feature debut, Your Touch Makes Others Invisible, was supported by the Sundance Institute and Berlinale Talents, and premiered at IFFR (2025). He is a Guggenheim Fellow (2025), a Film Independent Spirit Award nominee (2026), and was named one of Filmmaker Magazine's 25 New Faces of Independent Film (2020).
Festivals & Awards
- World premiere, competition — Oberhausen ISFF | 2026
- Screening (director's earlier work) — IFFR, BFI London Film Festival, SFFILM San Francisco, New Directors/New Films
