On the Surface

Experimental Short | India | Jayasri Sridhar & Amal Zen


On the surface, lichens appear as unsightly patches on city roofs, often unnoticed. Yet, they play a crucial role in the carbon cycle, absorbing carbon dioxide and releasing oxygen. Sensitive to pollution, lichens are the first to die when contamination rises. This film examines this remarkable organism. The sound design captures human activities emitting carbon essential for lichens’ survival and pollutants signaling their demise.


About the Filmmaker

Amal Zen is a visual artist with an innate fascination with light and shadow. He graduated in Film and Video Communication from the National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad. Besides cinematography and filmmaking, his passions include art, photography and exploring new mediums for storytelling.

About the Filmmaker

Jayasri Sridhar is a filmmaker, musician, researcher and writer from Bangalore, with a Bachelor’s Degree in Film and Video Communication at the National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad. In her interdisciplinary creative and academic practice, she loves exploring the synergies between music, sound, typography, storytelling and language, and adores working with diverse collaborators from across the world.

Gayatri Manu