Documentary
Hidden from the world’s TV cameras, life under Myanmar’s junta of terror in the aftermath of 2021’s stunning military coup has been largely invisible. But in an act of courageous creative resistance, this powerful hybrid documentary – produced by a group of anonymous Burmese filmmakers – gives voice to the personal stories of ordinary citizens.
The camera is a weapon often used by both sides in any political struggle, and so it is here. Scenes of people being forcefully removed are juxtaposed with struggles of resistance in everyday life, and we’re asked to question the visibility of a camera lens in its presence and in its absence. Using a collage of forms and genres, from harrowing smartphone footage to haunting ghost stories, the anonymous Myanmar Film Collective combines short films, chilling eyewitness footage and investigative citizen journalism into a stirring and visceral testimony to the power of cinema as collective action.
For oppressive regimes to succeed, they must conduct their crimes unseen. Bravely laying bare the horrifying levels of violence and injustice currently at work in Myanmar, Myanmar Diaries directly confronts its audience, the global community – and asks us to do more.
Myanmar Diaries will be released in February 2023 to coincide with the two-year anniversary of the coup.
