Lights, Camera—But Where’s the Action?
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Friday, March 29, 2024
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CULTURE

Lights, Camera—But Where’s the Action?


By Toby Hudson/Rangoon SEPTEMBER, 2005 - VOLUME 13 NO.9


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“In Burma we just don’t have movies that meet the international standards,” he said.

 

Even in regional terms, Burmese movies fail to meet the grade, unable to compete with Bollywood’s beauties, South Korean super stars and Chinese, Japanese and Thai martial arts extravaganzas.

 

People within the Burmese film industry readily admit that their films are not up to regional or global standards, and filming, directing and acting techniques need to be improved before Burma can make a quality debut on overseas screens.

 

But most blame the Burmese junta’s censorship regulations, complaining that the strict rules hold Burmese cinema back by stifling creativity and rejecting anything not considered “traditional Burmese culture.” The regime is in a dilemma of its own making, insisting on the application of censorship regulations that consign films to mediocrity although national prestige demands productions that meet international standards. At the same time, it tries to stem the flow of foreign-made films into Burma, condemning Burmese audiences to a diet of dross.

 

In a disingenuous appeal to the movie industry earlier this year, reported by The New Light of Myanmar, Information Minister Brig-Gen Kyaw Hsan “urged the businessmen to produce more quality pictures and to prevent the penetration of foreign pictures in the nation. He also exhorted those from the film industry to make efforts with might and main to achieve greater success.”

 

The appeal couldn’t be more unfair, complain many in the film industry. They argue that the government is holding the industry back by blocking any creative scripts that come its way. The regime exerts its influence not only through non-negotiable censorship regulations but by means of its financial clout, which it sometimes shamelessly uses to win a key role in production.

 

Government participation in one form or another is inevitable in an industry so sadly lacking in outside investment. According to actors and directors, there are currently only two or three businessmen interested in producing films. Even the most popular Burmese-made films make little profit, if any.

 

In what might be seen as an enlightened bid to upgrade the quality of Burmese films, the regime is actually encouraging directors and film technicians to get overseas training and enter their films in international festivals. Industry insiders say the Burmese military hope that film festival success will help to attract investors and draw people back to the cinema, where audiences have reportedly dwindled by up to 50 percent in the past two years.

 

While few directors would risk trying anything political or religious, many want the opportunity to write scripts that deal with serious social issues; or at least something a little more experimental. They believe this would give local audiences new material and show international critics that Burmese films can be creative and make their mark on world screens.


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