Myanmar Diaries (Burmese: မြန်မာဒိုင်ယာရီ), is a 2022 Burmese-Dutch-Norwegian collage film documenting the aftermath of the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état, which led to nationwide protests, a brutal crackdown, and the ongoing civil war,[2]
| Myanmar Diaries | |
|---|---|
| Burmese | မြန်မာဒိုင်ယာရီ |
| Directed by | Myanmar Film Collective |
| Written by | Myanmar Film Collective |
| Produced by | |
Production company | ZIN Documentaire |
| Distributed by | Autlook Filmsales Icarus Films |
Release dates |
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Running time | 70 minutes |
| Countries |
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| Language | Burmese |
Summary
The film is a series of short films, some of which feature fictional stories or reenactments of true events, directed by the Myanmar Film Collective, an anonymous group of ten[3] young Burmese filmmakers.[4][5]
Production
Myanmar Diaries was shot by various anonymous filmmakers in the aftermath of the Myanmar coup d'état that occurred on 1 February 2021.[6]
Myanmar Diaries was first screened in the "Panorama" section of the 72nd Berlin International Film Festival on 13 February 2022.
Critical reception
The film was well received by audiences and won the Berlinale Documentary Award, Bronze Panoroma Audience Award, and Amnesty Film Award at the 72nd Berlin International Film Festival.[2] It was also shown at other film festivals, including the 27th Busan International Film Festival. The film was shortlisted as one of three submissions made by the Netherlands to compete for Best Documentary Film at the 95th Academy Awards.[7] Myanmar Diaries was awarded the inaugural Tony Elliott Impact Award at the annual Human Rights Watch Film Festival.[8]
Phuong Le, writing for The Guardian in the United Kingdom, gave the film four out of five stars, praising it as a "powerful" and "gut-punching" testament to the violence of the military coup.[9] Lee Marshall of Screen Daily also expressed enthusiasm for the film, albeit with reservations for the fictional segments, stating that it "lacks a unifying narrative and is something of an uneven assortment.... But taken as a whole, Myanmar Diaries is both an urgent denunciation of human rights abuses and a thought-provoking work of art".[10]
Accolades
| Award | Ceremony date | Category | Recipient(s) | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Berlin International Film Festival | 20 February 2022 | Berlinale Documentary Award | The Myanmar Film Collective | Won |
| Amnesty International Film Award[11] | Myanmar Diaries | Won | ||
| Human Rights Watch Film Festival | 10 February 2022 | Tony Elliott Impact Award[11][12] | Myanmar Diaries | Won |
| Biografilm Festival | 2022 | Audience Award International Competition[13] | Myanmar Diaries | Won |
See also
- Broken Dreams: Stories from the Myanmar Coup, a 2023 Burmese anthology film considered as a follow-up to Myanmar Diaries
- Burma VJ, a 2007 Danish documentary film about the Saffron Revolution
- Rays of Hope, a 2023 autobiographical documentary by director Ko Pauk about his life during the Myanmar civil war
