Burma VJ: Reporting from a Closed Country (Danish: Burma VJ - reporter i et lukket land; Burmese: ဘားမား ဗီဂျေ, romanized: bharrmarr begyaay) is a 2008 Danish documentary film directed by Anders Østergaard. It follows the Saffron Revolution against the military regime in Burma.[2] The "VJ" in the title stands for "video journalists."[3] Some of it was filmed on hand-held cameras. The footage was smuggled out of the country,[4] physically or over the Internet. Other parts of it were reconstructed, which caused controversy.[5]
| Burma VJ | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Anders Østergaard |
| Written by | Anders Østergaard, Jan Krogsgaard |
| Produced by | Lise Lense-Møller Com: Magic Hour Films Line: Cecilia Valsted Ass.: Lars Frederiksen |
| Starring | The Burma VJs |
| Narrated by | "Joshua" |
| Cinematography | Simon Plum |
| Edited by | Janus Billeskov & Thomas Papapetros |
| Music by | Conny C-A Malmqvist |
| Distributed by | Dogwoof Pictures (UK), Oscilloscope Laboratories (US) |
Release date |
|
Running time | 84 mins |
| Country | Denmark |
| Languages | Burmese English |
| Box office | $123,477[1] |
Reception
Critical response
Burma VJ has an approval rating of 97% on review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, based on 62 reviews, and an average rating of 7.69/10. The website's critical consensus states, "A powerfully visceral docu-drama highlighting the evils of censorship and the essential need for freedom of speech".[6] It also has a score of 82 out of 100 on Metacritic, based on 13 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".[7]
Awards and nominations
The film won awards, especially at European film festivals, e.g. it won the Golden Apricot at the 2009 Yerevan International Film Festival, Armenia, for Best Documentary Film.[8][9] It won the World Cinema Documentary Film Editing Award at the Sundance Film Festival.[10] Burma VJ was also nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature.[11]
Box office
The film was released to one theater on 20 May 2009 and grossed $5,554 in the opening weekend. Its widest release was in three theaters. As of 1 May 2010, the total gross stands at $123,477.[12]
DVD features
The DVD includes a message from Buddhist actor Richard Gere comparing the situation in Burma to that in Tibet.[13]
