Joe Louis visits the That Byin Nyu Temple
Anyone who has visited New Zealand knows that the Lord of the Rings movies were filmed there. The tourist industry promotes the movies and related activities, viewpoints, and merchandise with a fervor. And it’s clear why the location was chosen – gorgeous, verdant stretches of land, clear mountain views in every direction, and pristine, sparkling rivers. All excellent wonders for a fantasy land.
Burma is also a beautiful country. Not only does it have the natural attractions like mountains, swathes of greenery, and even beaches, but it also has a deep, rich history. Touring Bagan brings both of these aspects to the forefront. Seeing large temples, thousands of years old, standing tall against captivating surroundings, makes amateur tourist photographers salivate. I can only imagine how a cinematographer would react.
So why don’t we hear of movies being filmed in Myanmar as they are in New Zealand and Canada? Like so much of Burma’s stifled progress, the answer lies in its military government. The regime, scared of bad publicity and outside propaganda has censored the film industry in the country for decades. Although the government is starting to relax its grip on the industry as it has with tourism in recent years, there is still a long way to go.
Some movies have come out of Myanmar, but not always sanctioned. 2008’s Oscar nominated documentary “Burma VJ: Reporting from A Closed Country” about protesting monks was shot covertly mostly with hand cameras.
When Michelle Yeoh was working on the 2011 movie “The Lady” about opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi she was actually deported from Myanmar and placed on a blacklist. There is still some work to be done before Myanmar becomes a movie-friendly nation.
See what other blogs are saying about the Burma film industry:
“Decades of repressive military rule, with its accompanying global isolation, censorship and equipment shortages, left Myanmar’s once-proud film industry reeling.”
–LA Times
“Yeoh, who has been filming the biopic in neighbouring Thailand, was detained on arriving at Rangoon’s airport on 22 June but was sent out on the next flight, Burmese officials said. ‘She was deported on the same day because she is on a blacklist,’ an unnamed official told Reuters.”
–The Guardian
