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Myanmar movies make a comback

Saturday, August 03, 2013 - 01:05

Aug. 3 - Myanmar's film industry headed for a revival. Julie Noce reports.

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In a dark, cramped room in Yangon, a Burmese film director is testing his artistic freedom. He's editing a movie about an the 1988 uprising in which the government killed 3,000 people and arrested thousands more. In Myanmar, where freedom of speech restrictions have been lifted recently, the country's film industry is going through a resurgence. Allbeit a tentative one. (SOUNDBITE) (Burmese) 39-YEAR-OLD FILM PRODUCER PHYO YADANA THWE SAYING: "I've lived in a box for 25 years, now the government gives us freedom, but it's hard because we are afraid. We have no idea about free-thinking." Back in the 1950's, Myanmar's film industry was booming. Movies were churned out for the country's some 244 theatres. Today, many of those theatres are falling apart, have been shut down, or removed all together to make way for other buildings. And while Myanmar's movie industry is headed for a revival, some industry veterans say it will be slow going when it comes to topics like politics or corruption. Even today the new quasi-civilian government's reforms still only go so far - the edit will still have to go through the censorship board

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Myanmar movies make a comback

Saturday, August 03, 2013 - 01:05