Burma VJ

BURMA VJ
Anders Ostergaard, 2009, 84mins
Unclassified - Admission 18+

$11, $8 (concession, Open Channel members)

Tickets/Info: www.cinemanova.com.au
Trailer - www.burmavjmovie.com

In September 2007, after decades of oblivion, Burma became headline news across the globe when Buddhist monks led a massive rebellion against the military regime. More than 100,000 people took to the streets protesting a cruel dictatorship that has held the country hostage for more than 40 years. With the country closed to foreign media, reporting of events fell to a handful of young Burmese Video Journalists, working clandestinely and at great risk to document events and keep the world informed.

Directed by Anders Ostergaard, Burma VJ tells the story of these young reporters and, for the first time, assembles their extraordinary footage to tell the complete story of the September rebellion. The film offers a unique insight into high-risk journalism and dissidence in a police state, and - as the journalists become targets of the military - is a compelling reminder of the power of the camera. Burma VJ plays like a thriller, all the more scary because it is true.

Burma VJ has been nominated for an Academy Award - Best Documentary and has received more than thirty international awards at festivals including Sundance and Berlin.

This one-off screening will be followed by a Q&A hosted by Melbourne-based documentary filmmaker and video journalist Carmela Baranowska (Taliban Country, Scenes from an Occupation).

Presented by Open Channel and Cinema Nova with the support of Magic Hour Films and Melbourne International Film Festival.