Nic နဲ႔ ဧရာဝတီက ကိုရဲနီအင္တာဗ်ဴးပါ

From Khmer Rouge to Tatmadaw
Friday, May 13, 2011

“Burma Soldier” is a documentary about the life of Myo Myint, a former Burmese soldier who lost a leg and arm in a mortar attack and went on to become a pro-democracy activist.

The film will be screened at the Brighton Festival 2011—where Burmese pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi will be honored in absentia as the guest director.

Burma Soldier will also be shown May 19 and June 12 on HBO.

The Irrawaddy’s Yeni caught up with first-time film director Nic Dunlop, who is also a Bangkok-based photographer and writer, to talk about the movie.


QUESTION: As a photographer and writer you published a book about Duch, the Khmer Rouge prison chief, in 2005. Now you have made a documentary about the life of Myo Myint. When you reflect on these two projects, what are your thoughts? Why did you choose two different forms of media for the projects—the first a book and the second a film?

ANSWER: I've always been interested in 'the other' and to get beyond stereotypes. Like the Khmer Rouge, the Tatmadaw [Burmese military] has been vilified to such an extent that there is little room for understanding. And I'm of the belief that if we're serious about change we need to engage in their world. They're not going to change through moral condemnation alone.

Also, perpetrators are always 'them' and never 'us,' and I was drawn to explore a world that few were interested in. For my book about Duch it made sense for me to write. It was the medium that made sense to me as most of what had occurred had already taken place. It was a reflective piece.

And that is the same with "Burma Soldier"; a film has an immediacy that the written word doesn't have. But "Burma Soldier" grew out of my experiences and also because I was trying to get a photo book on Burma published. Julie LeBrocquy said, 'Well, if you come up with an idea for a film then perhaps it can help.' And so that's really how it came about.

Q: You tracked down Duch eleven years ago, now he is being brought to justice. Compared with Duch, how did you find Myo Myint? What was your thought when you saw him? Can you tell a little about the origin of the film?

A: I was introduced to Myo Myint by Bo Kyi at the AAPP [Association for the Assistance of Politicial Prisoners-Burma] in Mae Sot. And I remember Bo Kyi saying, 'Someone should make a film about his life.' I liked Myo Myint immediately. He has quite a presence and Bo Kyi words stuck in my mind, so when Julie talked to me about a film I immediately thought of him. And because the military is so unknown, but he was happy to talk about his experience.

Q: The film is based on a personal story, but it also tells the story of a country—especially its army. You also visited Napyidaw and took photographs of the Burmese armed forces day parade. What are the similarities and differences between the two armies—the Khmer Rouge and Burmese Army—in your eyes?

A: I once spent two days in a forward position of serving Burmese troops. I found them to be quite normal and not the baby eating thugs that we've heard about. That isn't to say that they haven't committed atrocities. We all know they have, but they are human. They were welcoming and happy to have a distraction from their routine. I remember thinking of them whilst taking pictures that these soldiers remind me of the rank and file of the Khmer Rouge; they looked like farmers.

Q: During the screening of the film, there was some horrifying footage of Burmese soldiers abusing villagers in the ethnic areas and battlefields. How did you manage to get the footage?

A: It came from many sources. From the internet in some cases but also from the late Sam Kalayanee (who worked with us as soundman) and also from the Free Burma Rangers who had this incredible frontline footage of the Tatmadaw on operations deep in Karen state. It was taken at such incredible risk by their medics.

We were very lucky to have the support of people like this who, more often than not, donated their footage—particulalry the Democratic Voice of Burma (DVB).

Q: In an interview with The New York Times, you said the effort to reach a wider audience with film was "reverse pirating"—a process of smuggling a film into Burma instead of out of the country. How did it work out?

A: It's very simple. We have uploaded the Burmese version online and I have made many CVDs and DVDs to hand to activists inside and outside Burma and along the border, and many have been couriered across the border and to Rangoon. We are openly encouraging Burmese to 'pirate' our own film so that others can obtain a different history to the one they're used to. The DVB streamed it on their website before, during and after the election.

Q: Now your film has screened at many film festivals and even recently at the US State Department. So what result do you want to see after screening this film to an international audience?

A: It is Annie, Ricki, Julie and my hope that the film will invite people to think about the military and what drives them; to inject more nuance into the debate surrounding Burma's crisis. I think that is all we can expect from a film like this. We also hope it will be a platform for Myo Myint to get to wherever he wants to go. After all, it is his story.

irrawaddy.org

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