Photo Credit:Guy Ferrandis
Little Jaffna, Lawrence Valin’s first feature, is not just a crime thriller but a milestone in representation. Shot in Paris’s Tamil neighborhood, the movie tells the story of Michael Beaulieu, a Tamil French police officer, who goes undercover to penetrate a group of individuals-traffickers laundering money for Sri Lanka’s Tamil Tigers.
Valin wrote, directed, and stars in the film, taking inspiration from his own frustration at being cast in stereotypical roles. After decades of playing mystics or rose-sellers with invented accents, he finally took hold of the narrative. “In France, the image we have of a French-Tamil person is an immigrant,” he said. “I wanted to change that and bring new role models.”
The movie is filmed in Tamil and French and takes place against the vibrant background of Paris’s Little Jaffna neighborhood—a setting seldom seen on screen. It’s a rapid-fire thriller with street-level action, but beneath the frenetic pace is a richly layered tale of identity, community, and the echoes of Sri Lanka’s devastating civil war between the generations.
What is unique about Little Jaffna is its insider’s view. The flashpoints of Tamil families watching South Indian films, the effortless code-switching, and the cultural references—like poking fun at someone for eating with a fork—make a richer narrative than one that may have depended too much on its genre.
Valin, however, was aware that a simple drama would not draw big audiences. So he decided to use the genres of thriller—action, suspense, crime—to reel them in. “They come to see a good thriller,” he said, “and then I send them home with some understanding of the Tamil community and the Sri Lankan war.”.
The film has already received awards at France’s Reims Polar thriller festival and screened at major festivals worldwide. Critics have praised its style, its relevance, and its fresh voice in French cinema.
Above all, Valin hopes Little Jaffna will open doors for others. “I’ve made a first film,” he said. “Now a generation of young filmmakers can say, ‘If he did it, I can too.’
