Burma VJ: Reporting from a Closed Country (2008)

Using smuggled footage, this documentary tells the story of the 2007 protests in Burma by thousands of monks.

Director:

Anders Østergaard

Stars:

George W. Bush, Ko Muang, Aung San Suu Kyi

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 17 wins & 10 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
George W. Bush	...	Self (archive footage)
Ko Muang	...	Self
Aung San Suu Kyi	...	Self

Storyline

Using smuggled footage, this documentary tells the story of the 2007 protests in Burma by thousands of monks.

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Plot Keywords:

reference to aung san suu kyi | massacre | secret filming | undercover reporting | journalist in danger | 

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Genres:

Documentary | History | News

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Certificate:

Unrated

Did You Know?

Quotes

Narrator: We have do rely on handicamns. But the things we did with theses things could shook up the people of Burma, as well as the people around the world.

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Connections

Featured in The 82nd Annual Academy Awards (2010)

User Reviews

An uprising

Burma is an oppressive military state. It's illegal to protest in public. Men with guns will come and take you away if you do it. In 2007 a massive uprising began in the country when fuel prices became too high.

The images of the monks marching in the streets were the defining image of this uprising but this documentary shows a lot more footage, the really important footage which is worth seeing.

The video journalists in Burma (Myanmar) record everything undercover and sneak the footage out of the country so it can be broadcast around the world.

The images are pretty stark, the army shooting unarmed civilians in the street, beating up and carrying away monks, a dead monk floating in a river the day after they were arrested.

This is a very good documentary about the people rising up and fighting what is pretty much an impossibly authoritarian force. The soldiers have guns, the civilians have flags and video cameras. It's not hard to see who will win when you think of it this way. And yet the students, monks and rest of the people in the streets never waiver. They march onward, even saying, "Those who don't fear death, come to the front". That's bravery. Our political fights in North America and the rest of the Western world, while important are a mere shadow compared to the people of Myanmar.

Burma is of course only one story of an authoritarian government, there are many more. Canadian and American companies regularly do business with this regime and rape the land of its resources. It's pretty obvious why Canadian troops are "fighting for democracy" in Afghanistan instead of Burma. We don't don't control the resources there, we do in Burma.

Details

Official Sites:

Official site Official site [Japan]

Country:

Denmark Sweden Norway UK USA Germany Netherlands Israel Spain Belgium Canada

Language:

Burmese English

Release Date:

9 January 2009 (Denmark)

Also Known As:

Burma VJ

Filming Locations:

Burma

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$5,554, 24 May 2009

Gross USA:

$51,672

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$127,063

Company Credits

Production Co:

Kamoli Films, Magic Hour Films ApS, Mediamente

Technical Specs

Runtime:

84 min

Color:

Color