Activists Without Borders (AWB) produced the short documentary on Kurukkalmadam Massacre as part of our ongoing commitment to supporting filmmakers who expose human rights violations and bring urgent social issues to light. This documentary is a key feature of our annual film festival programme.
Titled The Killing of the Travellers | A Kurukkalmadam Massacre Story, the film was directed by filmmaker and activist Baazir Kaleelur Rahman and premiered at the Activists Without Borders Film Festival (AWBFF) in November 2024.
The documentary sheds light on the abductions of travellers on roads to and from Kattankudy during the Sri Lankan civil war. It focuses on the massacre that took place in Kurukkalmadam on 12th July 1990, where 72 innocent people – including returning Hajj pilgrims – were brutally killed and buried by armed groups. However, local accounts suggest that more than 150 people may be buried at the site, and over 250 innocent civilians from Kattankudy, unaffiliated with either side of the conflict, were killed during that period.
Despite continued efforts to uncover mass graves in northern Sri Lanka and return remains to grieving families, the victims of Kurukkalmadam remain largely forgotten. Their families are still waiting – for answers, for justice, and for accountability.
While the Tamil struggle for independence has rightly received international attention and sympathy, the suffering endured by Eastern Muslims during the same period has been marginalised, and often erased from national memory and justice processes. For decades, the Muslim community has grieved in silence – denied both recognition and redress.
Baazir stated: “Kurukkalmadam must not remain a silent grave. It must become a historic symbol – not just of pain – but of our collective resolve to seek justice, however long it takes.”
The full film will premiere on our YouTube channel on 3rd August 2025. Watch the trailer below.
