Extraordinary women discuss the more hidden parts of their lives – things they regret, things they’ve struggled with, triumphs they’ve celebrated silently; the small and big changes they’ve seen occur, in their own lives and others – relating to their lived experiences as women. Led and moderated by Jayanthi Kuru-Utumpala.
Language: Sinhala & English
Age suitability: All ages
On 21 May 2016, Jayanthi Kuru-Utumpala became the first Sri Lankan (male or female) to reach the summit of Mount Everest. In recognition of this accomplishment, and her professional career as a feminist and women’s rights activist over the past 14 years, Sri Lanka’s Ministry of Women’s Affairs appointed her their first-ever Goodwill Ambassador for Women’s Rights.
Chandani is one of Sri Lanka's most known and most beloved actors. She started her acting career as a Theatre Artist and made her film debut in Sathi Puja in 1985, for which she won the Presidential Award for best supporting Actress. She is the recipient of a Dubai International Film Award, a Presidential Award, a Sarasaviya Award, a Lanka Live Award and a Hiru Golden Film Award. Some of her notable performances on television were in "Giraya", "Gamperaliya" and "Doo Daruwo".
India’s first visually impaired stand-up comedienne who discusses disability, sexuality, and feminism with raw (hilarious) honesty.
Prof Savitri Goonesekere is a jurist and academic[1] from Sri Lanka. She is an international expert on the rights of children. A prolific writer, Goonesekere was instrumental in the evolution of modern legal education in Sri Lanka. Her work on women’s rights, family law and child labour have been significant in the Sri Lankan, regional and global contexts.
A popular women’s and trans-rights campaigner who began transitioning after leaving school, Bhoomi works tirelessly to change societal attitudes about Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights in Sri Lanka.
Winner of the Ramon Magsaysay Award 2017, psychologist and teacher, who dedicated years to providing psychosocial support, particularly to children, through times of conflict.
Sunila Galappatti started her working life at the Royal Shakespeare Company and Live Theatre, Newcastle. In Sri Lanka, she has been a Director of the Galle Literary Festival (2009 & 2010) and worked with Raking Leaves on its Open Edit project. More recently, she commissioned and edited the non-fiction section of www.addastories.org and is to be the Asia region judge of the Commonwealth Short Story Prize 2018. She is the author of A Long Watch, retelling the memoir of a prisoner of war.