Elephants + squirrels, 2026
Documentary Film
During her research in Swiss museums, Sri Lankan artist Deneth Piumakshi Veda Arachchige comes across a collection of human remains and cultural objects from the Wanniyala-Aetto, an indigenous Sri Lankan Adivasi community. The objects were brought to Basel at the beginning of the 20th century by Swiss naturalists Paul and Fritz Sarasin - using methods that combine colonial violence and scientific aspirations in a disturbing way. Sri Lanka demanded the return of some of these items already in the 1970s - but Switzerland refused. Now, decades later, Deneth Piumakshi Veda Arachchige and Uruwarige Wannilaththo, the chief of the Wanniyala-Aetto, are committed to ensuring that the human remains and artifacts are finally returned. A lengthy process begins …
«Elephants & Squirrels» sheds light on Switzerland’s involvement in the colonial system. The film tells the past and the present from various perspectives and confronts Switzerland with crucial questions about power, historical responsibility and cultural heritage.
A collaboration between: Deneth Piumakshi Veda Arachchige & Gregor Brändli
Written and directed by: Gregor Brändli
Produced by: Frank Matter
Cinematography: Jonas Jäggy SCS
Location sound: Jonas Jäggy, Kathleen Moser, Wendelin Schmidt-Ott, Silvio Anania, Victor Moser
Edited by: Gregor Brändli
Music & musical sound design: Yanik Soland
Sound design & mixing: Thomas Rechberger at Klangfilm Studios
Winner of the “Silver Dove” at Dok Leipzip, International Competition.
«Elephants & Squirrels is informative, illuminating, engrossing and entertaining. It’s a richly detailed journey through time and space that takes a very familiar topic and explores it through a very geographically precise prism, telling a universal story that draws us in via its cultural specificity, getting to the heart and art of the matter with clever, thorough elegance.» Max Borg, The Film Verdict
«This powerful documentary opens a dialogue about memory, restitution, and accountability.» Salem Film Fest
