Mind the Rescue directed by Alex Ribeiro

What did Alex Ribeiro say about his film?

Humans and animals permanently interact, to the point we don't even notice. We listen to the birds singing, kill mosquitos, select our meals, walk in the fields, and adopt pets.

Each culture labels each animal: some are sacred, some are pests, scary or fluffy, cute, or just food. That implies how they should be treated. When someone deviates from the norm, in animal treatment, we find it weird but also food for thought.

During a trip to Sri Lanka, we met Madushan - a 26-year-old waiter in an Italian restaurant in Galle. His passion for rescuing and healing animals brought him conflicts with his father - a fisherman - some of his neighbors, and even the authorities. With time, his persistence earned him a respected place in his country's society.

Madushan's stories

Mind the Rescue - tells some of Madushan's stories—he dedicates his life to animal rescue, from bravery to nonsense—while portraying some bits and pieces of the society surrounding him.

That was my second time in Sri Lanka. On the first, I did some short documentaries for YouTube around the country—nothing overly planned. Before that, I was mainly an underwater cameraman and resort photographer in Indonesia. I have a few successful videos on marine life and Balinese Hindu traditions.

The crew, for Mind the Rescue, was mostly made of friends, who spontaneously wanted to collaborate. The sound was mostly handled by a colleague from my drumming days, back in Portugal. Animations, to a surf and spearfishing buddy, who evolved into creating his own graphic design and animation company. Locally our hero was also a hero in facilitating the filming. Sumanasiri, the boat skipper, multi-tasked as a gaffer, production assistant, and location manager. Overall, a dozen of Sri Lankans and Portuguese, unknown to each other, made this story come true.