Tribute - Na Gyi & Paing Phyoe Thu

Director Na Gyi and Myanmar Academy Award winning actress Paing Phyoe Thu may not be household names in the West, but in Myanmar the Burmese filmmaking couple are not only famous but infamous.

Since day one of the February 1, 2021 Military coup, the celebrity couple were on the streets opposing the Military Junta. Within days, peaceful demonstrations in Myanmar swelled to hundreds of thousands of people. An image captured by freelance photographer Anonymous of Paing Phyoe Thu holding up the three-finger salute - a symbol from the »Hunger Games« series, which became the leitmotif of the democracy movement
- went viral and was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize.

On April 3rd, under Section 505 (a), a warrant was issued for their arrests for »using their popularity« to encourage civil servants to participate in protests opposing the military junta that had seized control of the government. Facing indefinite prison time and torture, the couple were forced into hiding. But they remained defiant.

»There’s no turning back. We decided we’re going to do this, and we will fight to the end«. Paing Phyoe Thu

On March 3rd, one month earlier, the Oldenburg International Film Festival received a submission of a film from Myanmar titled »What Happened to the Wolf?«. Directed by Na Gyi and starring Paing & fellow actress Eaindra Kyaw Zin as two terminally ill patients who meet and fall in love, although not political in nature, the topic of LBGTQ+ in and of itself was still a cause for persecution in Myanmar. The World Premiere of the film
screened in Oldenburg in September, and its Trailer received over 1 million hits on the Festival’s Facebook page. Eaindra received the 2021 Seymour Cassel Award for Best Actress, but was unable to attend to receive it as by then she had been imprisoned already for 6 months for her celebrity participation in the demonstrations, and with no word of her condition. 

As death threats mounted for them and their fellow artists, journalists, and rebels, Na Gyi and Paing Phyoe Thu made the difficult decision to flee their homeland of Myanmar in order to survive. And after months of journeying through dangerous territory, once safe and from an undisclosed location in a nearby country, they co-founded The Artists Shelter to support Myanmar Artists in exile.

Na Gyi is a graduate of engineering at Yangon University, and Paing Phyoe Thu is a medical doctor and graduate of the Medical University 1 in Yangoon. The 2024 Tribute will include their first feature film collaboration, 2019s »Mi«, a film adaptation of a famous Myanmar novel by Ki Aye in which Paing stars as an irreverent & carefree young woman dying of tuberculosis. Set in the 1940s, the film was a huge audience hit and garnered critical praise, but was shockingly shunned by the Academy for its provocative authenticity. Their second feature film collaboration, 2021s “What Happened to the Wolf?” will once again screen in the Tribute, as will their (3) shorts film collaborations made in hiding & exile - inspired by real-events: »Guilt«, »Our Turn«, and »My Lost Nation«.

»Filmmaking is hard. Making a film when you are on the run is even more challenging. It seemed almost impossible. I revolt against the military dictator by making this film. This film is inspired by true events. This is one of many stories from the February 2021 coup d’état in Myanmar.« Na Gyi on »Guilt«

After over 2 years in exile, the filmmaking couple had recent hopes of receiving travel documents, and were looking forward to attending Oldenburg as the 2024 Tribute Honorees. Unfortunately, as of today, they still remain in a perilous limbo of bureaucracy and international politics. And although they are unable to attend in person this year, the Festival feels passionate about their artistry & all they stand for, and will use our platform to support awareness of their work. That also includes the extraordinary and ongoing efforts of The Artists Shelter.

Mi

In their first feature film collaboration - a film adaptation of a classic Myanmar novel by Ki Aye, set in the conservative Burmese society of the 1940s – Paing Phyoe Thu stars as Mi: an irreverent & free-spirited young woman living on borrowed time. Consumed by tuberculosis, a fatal illness in the post-war era, she finds solace in cigarettes and brandy. The glittering nightlife of Rangoon is her playground, where she captivates wealthy men with her wit and charm. Her past is shrouded in mystery, and her true motivations are unclear to all who try
to define her enigmatic elusiveness. Emotionally destroyed by his unrequited love for Mi, a young naïve admirer unwittingly fuels fires of passion and intrigue as he confesses his heartbreak to a friend – who will become the next victim of her lure. Lines between love and obsession blur. And as death looms for Mi, she grapples with the fragility of life and the meaninglessness of existence.

What Happend to the Wolf?

Two women, one fate. The two terminally ill patients Way and Moe get to know each other in the hospital. Moe has cancer, Way was born with a heart defect. One is traditional, the other rebellious. The dissimilar couple are magically drawn to each other. An unusual friendship blossoms, in the course of which Way introduces the traditionally strict Moe to the simple joys of life, to books and pop music. Together they embark on a trip to the famous “Sea of Clouds«, a mystical place that both of them want to see before they die. The narrative is
masterfully implemented and carried by two stunning actresses, Na Gyi allows us a glimpse of his home country Myanmar, which seems so far removed from the current reality, but no less authentic. Grand cinema from a small country. Na Gyi is a filmmaker who has mastered the tools of storytelling like no other. In Hollywood he would be up for Oscars, in his homeland Myanmar he had to escape the country and live in hiding since he was put on the blacklist of the new rulers after the military coup in 2021.

Guilt

Inspired by true events, a young woman flees her country after the February
2021 coup d’état in Myanmar. Activists were brutally captured and imprisoned.
And few came out from Myanmar military interrogations. Some chose death
over military tortures. For her, dying was not an option.

My Lost Nation

After the ‘21 Military coup, an activist doctor flees to a remote village to avoid
prison and torture. Volunteering as a medic at a small school, two citizens in
need of his help challenge his own inner trauma: a young mother who visits the
school daily looking for her dead son, and a professional football player who
has lost a leg.

Our Turn!

In the aftermath of the 2021 Myanmar coup, a young man joins the resistance
against the military junta. He visits his best friend every night at nearby
village, seeking her support and companionship. But she too is traumatized. As
unbeknownst to the young man, he has already lost his life in a military air raid.