Myanmar film in running for movie award1 min read
Reading Time: < 1 minuteA movie shot secretly in Myanmar is in the running for a major award at Asia’s top film festival this week with its director saying he wanted to portray the “real” state of life in the country.
“It is about the truth of Burma,” said Myanmar-born director Midi Z of his first full-length feature, “Return To Burma.”
“It is reality cinema.”
The film is among 13 wildly diverse productions from 12 countries vying for two New Currents awards at the 16th Busan International Film Festival (BIFF), open to first or second-time Asian filmmakers and carrying prizes of US$30,000.
Midi Z revealed he had shot 90 per cent of the film in Myanmar and had sneaked his cameras and a small crew into the country after finding official regulations for filming “just far too restrictive.”
“It is very personal,” Midi Z said of the film, the title of which uses Myanmar’s alternative name. “Most of the film belongs to my own experiences.”
