No Fire Zone

An investigation and call to action for Sri Lanka's killing fields

Directed by Callum Macrae | Produced by Zoe Sale

This explosive feature documentary exposes some of the worst war crimes of the 21st century

No Fire Zone: The Killing Fields of Sri Lanka has renewed international controversy over the issue of accountability in Sri Lanka at its premiere at the UN Human Rights Council meeting on 1 March 2013.

The film is the culmination of three years of journalistic investigation and contains deeply disturbing new evidence. It is a devastating indictment of the men responsible for the crimes and an exposé of the failure of the international community to prevent this catastrophe. It also addresses the culpability of the Tamil Tigers, themselves responsible for war crimes and for preventing civilians from escaping the carnage.

Carefully evidenced, the film uses eyewitness accounts, expert opinion, and translated mobile phone and camera footage from both the victims and the perpetrators of violence. This footage enables the filmmakers, in a way almost never done before, to piece together the day-to-day horror of this war.

Director Callum Macrae said: “This film isn’t an academic exercise in historical accountability. The men responsible for these crimes are still in charge. They are going to extraordinary lengths to deny those crimes ever happened.

“If there is no attempt to address these issues and to bring justice to those who suffered, then history is destined to repeat itself with yet more bloodshed. We hope our film will be part of that process of truth-telling.”

The Nobel Peace Prize-nominated team behind the documentary Sri Lanka’s Killing Fields released their first feature length film about the final bloody months of the Sri Lankan civil war this spring.

This WorldView-supported film, which has been backed by Channel 4, Britdoc, The Bertha Foundation, The Pulitzer Center and Stichting Democratie en Media, as well as NGOs including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch was launched at the Geneva Human Rights Film Festival on 3 March 2013.

Screening and distribution

No Fire Zone aired on UK television for the first time on Channel 4, on Sunday 3 November 2013. It is available to watch in the UK on 4oD. More information

The full film is now available to watch for free through iPad and Android tabloid apps. It is also available via video on demand (in the UK for the moment) here.

For the latest on how you can help take the film’s message to a wider audience around the world and increase its impact visit the film’s website nofirezone.org

Follow the film’s impact on Twitter and Facebook

Sinhala language version

In early 2015 the Sinhala language version of the documentary was released. The No Fire Zone team have said that they hope the translation will help inform a national discussion about the best way forward: ‘We believe the vast majority of people in Sri Lanka, from all communities, want to know the truth and end impunity – and they want to find a peaceful, democratic alternative to the terrible bloodshed of the last decades.’

Click here to find out more