Burma VJ: Reporting from a Closed Country
Anders Østergaard:
Burma VJ: Reporting from a Closed Country (Denmark, 2008)
84 min. - Burmese, English - English subtitles
Age limit 16 years
Sin VI: Tyranny
Controlled by the military junta, Burma is a prime example of a modern tyranny. Nowadays the country has opened up slightly, but it is still ruled by the military junta, and its recent history is grim and bloodstained. In 1988 the military forces executed over 3000 students, monks and protesters who raised against the oppression. Still, the Burmese believing in freedom had the courage to hit the streets again. Burma VJ is their story. And at the same time, it is one of the finest and most touching documentary films of the millennia.
Directed by Anders Østergaard, Burma VJ: Reporting from a Closed Country tells the story of the 2007 Burmese uprising in an incredibly inspiring way. Director Østergaard has compiled his film from the footage smuggled outside the country borders, filmed by the journalists who risked their lives in the uprising. Burma VJ introduces heroic journalists who brought the shocking events to daylight and made other countries turn their focus on closed Burma.
Burma VJ won the major award of the world’s largest documentary film festival IDFA, and it was also nominated for an Academy Award. The film is worth all the praise and glory it receives. The images of the monks rising against the soldiers bring tears to one’s eyes even after all these years. If you are going to watch only one film at the festival, let it be this one.
Fri 15th Nov at 3:30pm Tapio 3