Discoveries from Myanmar (Burma) World Cinema

When the Paungdaw Oo monastic school was founded near Mandalay in 1993 the aim was to provide orphans and children from disadvantaged families with a decent education. Fifteen years later, the school has swelled to 7200 pupils and is a resounding success not least on account of its inspired, child-centred approach to teaching (known as CCA) as well as the integral role played by teachers, parents and income-generating vocational training programmes. In this lively portrait, the school's abbot and several of Paungdaw Oo's teachers – many of whom were once pupils there themselves – talk about the school's CCA concept, the astonishing benefits of encouraging children to think for themselves, and how these methods can be a model for schools across Myanmar.

A 2023 Burmese short film portraying the spirit of Myanmar’s ongoing revolution. In 19 minutes, it powerfully captures the resilience, sacrifice, and hope of a people still fighting for justice.

A group of village kids pass their time playing with toy guns on the railroad tracks. One of the boys, Gao Gao, decides to visit a friend’s home and is changed by what he sees. RB

Kiss Like Wine (Burmese: အနမ်းဝိုင်) is a 2018 Burmese romantic-drama film, directed by Aung Myat starring Aung Ye Lin and Wutt Hmone Shwe Yi.

The story of a rural Burmese villager named Ma Nu.

Moe Kyal, gifted with flaming hands, must save his childhood sweetheart, Zin Zin, from his rival, Maung Lone, and the ruthless communist leader, BaKaPa General Mate Sar.

Betrayed by his unfaithful wife and closest friends, a famous writer is murdered for his wealth. A book revealing the truth is sent to his estranged daughter, who must uncover its secrets before the killers silence her forever.

Myanmar is currently in a state of turmoil. Zhong wants to leave Myanmar....

A story you never heard before...

A heart-warming film about two gutsy young protest singers who put their beliefs into music in order to help Myanmar's factory workers understand their rights - and fight for them.

During Covid19 outbreak, two women enter the quarantine at a hotel and share a room. Soon, sexual tensions flare up and they find themselves in a passionate affair. But a dark secret is about to rupture this bliss.

Myint Myat and Sai Sai Kham Hlaing, two brothers who live in the neighborhood and don't care about anyone, are the ones who are destroyed by drugs. What kind of problems will they face???

Portrayal of events leading up to the birth of King Anawrahta, who was a great religious reformer in Myanmar. It includes how Buddhism started to flourish in the country.

In the village, there is a cheerful young man named Tar Tee. He loves a girl called Nyo Ma, but her mother dislikes him because he is illiterate. After his father died, Tar Tee became a drunk, hated by the whole village for always causing trouble. Feeling sorry for him, a decent young man named Myint Htway tries to help Tar Tee change and live right again.

In Hpakant, Myanmar, poor young people are numerous. Some of them engage in drug trafficking and make a living out of it. Some of them choose to leave Hpakant in pursuit of love. Some of them stay in Hpakant and dream that the jade hidden in the mountains might be the hope of improving their future lives; thus they often sing this song: “…before the best of luck comes, don’t underestimate we, jade miners…”.

The Art of 9 Limbs is Burmese action movie about the beauty of Lethwei.

Earth is in trouble, but wonder little girl is still in deep sleep. Her 7 year future self, decided to travel back in time to wake her up. Just so she can complete her mission in time.

Saung Einmet (Death is a Night) is a 1967 Burmese black-and-white psycho thriller drama film.

Hein Tun, a revered Burmese spiritual medium, has been in a loving relationship with Oakkar, a young actor. Yet, the couple faces societal scrutiny over their age difference and assumptions that Oakkar’s feelings are financially motivated. With humour and banter, their story showcases the courage to embrace love and identity amid Burmese cultural traditions and societal prejudice.

Three beekeeping families convened to discuss various challenges in their trade. They delved into topics such as the perilous migration of beehives, transportation hurdles, and the local farmers' resistance to placing hives in prime bee food areas, along with their disapproval of bee pollination efforts. Additionally, beekeepers contended with the repercussions of Myanmar's political shifts and escalating commodity prices, further exacerbating their plight.

A 19th century woman's life story. Between the based spirit world and the human world "frequency".

The film is about a young man who engages in necromancy to attain what he wants, including money and love. But things take a bad turn, and unexpected things begin to happen to him and to his family.

မာယာကျား is 2025 Burmese Comedy movie.

Kan Gyi, Par Gyi, and their friend, spend their days doing odd-jobs and begging on the buses.Neglected by their parents, society, they spend their nights sniffing glues and looking for a place to sleep in a wholesale market compound. But deep down inside, they are still the children who simply want to fit in, make friend, play mischief, and take care of each other, just like any other children.

Win Oo is the youngest of six brothers. Before his father died, he told him to visit his older brothers’ homes and observe their wives before deciding to marry.

In May 2008, Cyclone Nargis hit Myanmar's Ayeyarwaddy Delta, claiming 140,000 lives. Despite a filming ban, young Burmese filmmakers clandestinely visited devastated villages after the storm, capturing surreal scenes of loss and resilience. Their emotional footage reveals the profound impact of Nargis, depicting a world where life and death intertwine, altering countless lives forever. For security reasons, the filmmakers couldn't reveal their names and they used pseudonyms. But for the first time, they screened the film with their real names at the 2nd Wathann Film Festival in 2012.

An old woman from Mong Htet in northern Shan State in Myanmar looks back on a life marked by privation and loss. Her memories are interwoven with images that touch on this conflicted state’s past, present and future. A quietly poetic and evocative work about the rhythms of daily life, mortality and the persistence of memory.

Far away home, a young Burmese man now residing in Bangkok quietly struggles to cope with a new life that no longer feels like his own.

Aung Naing’s health is deteriorating, and he has to be transferred to a hospital due to inadequate facilities at the local health centre. While his friend is desperately searching for the money needed, he is losing the will to live.

A Burmese remake of Final Destination by Nyo Min Lwin.

Myanmar, 2023. Two years after the military coup, the country is in a state of chaos and violence. The junta is carrying out extrajudicial killings and seizing the property of activists and their families. Many activists have fled the country or joined the resistance armed groups. This feature-length omnibus film, consisting of nine short films by eight exiled Myanmar filmmakers, portrays the various viewpoints of ordinary Myanmar citizens who are caught up in a series of extraordinary events with heart-breaking, stunning, and inspirational results.

Burmese horror film.

A mysterious alchemist known only as Zeragon wages war against APOTECH, a breakthrough pharmaceutical corporation. Upon investigation Agent Zin discovers their battle is tied to the history of the Mythical Zawgyi—an immortal alchemist from old Burmese mythology.

a group of teenagers buys an new apartment, only to be haunted by The Zwe

A Myanmar–Japanese romance, drama movie directed by Sin Yaw Mg Mg.

Khin Khaing marries Nyein Maung to fulfill her dying mother's wish, but resents how pregnancy derailed her dreams of studying abroad. While her devoted husband pours his love into raising their mentally challenged child, she sees the child as an obstacle to her ambitions. As their conflicting approaches to parenting and life goals tear the marriage apart, their vulnerable child bears the emotional trauma more than age.

A love triangle that unfolds when "love, hate, and friendship" meet.

A newsreel depicting the funeral of Burmese independence activist U Htun Shein.

Oak Soe is a bit-part actor in the Myanmar film industry who dreams of landing a lead role. Struggling to get by with little money, he is at pains to accept that his girlfriend Honey, is sleeping with a rich older man for money. They both think they are in love and can accept each other for who they are, but the line between acting and reality is becoming increasingly blurred.

Film about the Luu ethnic group.

A fateful encounter between Nyaw Oo and Thein Min begins with a mentor-mentee relationship and gradually turns into something else!

If dream are a world that offers joy and an escape from reality, for a young man dealing with the pressure of work, isn't his only escape the dreams he has while sleeping?

Four filmmaker friends rent a once grand but long decommissioned cinema in the outskirts of a rural town for the traveling film festival that they are organizing.

Deep in the ocean, two fish friends, Lou and Jabba goes about their day when one day, they notice a mysterious figure in the horizon descending from the world above. Lou becomes curious as him and Jabba decide to follow the strange creature.

Street Gang is a 2025 burmese action thriller movie.

A short film by Lynn Lynn

An impressionistic state-of-mind piece of a decay of young woman who becomes increasingly trapped in her own vanity and seemingly forget to forge a human connection that she sought for.

Ko Naing is a long-term sentenced political prisoner facing another case. After a forced divorce and additional 10-year sentence, he loses contact with his wife and children. Following the February 1st, 2021 military takeover, his daughter Noe Noe becomes involved in the revolution. After being separated from her lover Htain Lin during a violent crackdown, she unexpectedly reunites with her father in an ethnic revolution area, where they must reconcile their past while fighting for their future.

Sequel to 2025 film “Don’t Tell Anyone”

Sad Diva Lands on the Moon follows the escapism of May, a young girl caught up in the turmoil of her country. While she stays at home, doing laundry or surfing the internet, her emotions take an imaginative run in absurd scenarios to forget the reality she leaves behind. Her journey takes her to the moon, while she tries to save a brainwashed, sad diva stuck in an old propaganda TV show.

It’s been 538 days since the start of the coup. Here is an inside look into the everyday lives of Burmese people under military rule.

Nay Yaung (21), a small town boy working in Yangon, wants to run away with his girlfriend Saung Oo (20) in order to save her from her abusive family and difficult city-life, and starts a new life. But he does not have enough money. At the same time, his mother from the conflict-affected home town is getting very ill. Nay Yaung needs to do something in order to solve these problems.

A bitter record company owner, her talented composer, and a rising female singer become entangled in a love triangle that mirrors the tragic Burmese folk songs they create together.