A couple of days ago, I had the opportunity to once again see Burma VJ, one of the most remarkable documentaries from last year. The film documents the use of small digital cameras by courageous Video Journalists – VJ’s – to reveal what goes on inside the Burmese dictatorship. With digital cameras and satellite uploads it is possible to distribute images worldwide within hours. Working with the Democratic Voice of Burma, a non-profit media organization based in Norway where it gets some of its funding, these courageous video activists do just this. Their work made all the difference during the 2007 uprising led by buddhist monks across the country. Although international news crews were banned and the Internet shut down, images of both the protests and the repression were quickly communicated to the outside world. This striking footage made the newscasts on major networks including the BBC and CNN. This was in stark contrast to the successful information blackout during the student revolt twenty years ago, in 1988. So, as we have seen with the use of digital images and Twitter messages in Iran recently, courage and technology can be a powerful force for social and political change.
Burma VJ by Danish filmmaker Anders Ostergaard, produced by Magic Hour Films, combines VJ footage with some recreations of their ‘tactical leader’ Joshua directing operations over the phone. As the threat of life imprisonment and even death becomes very tangible for the VJ activists, the tension in the film is almost unbearable.
Burma VJ was shown last fall at the Rencontres Internationales du Documentaire de Montréal in the presence of Khin Maung Win who is one of the leaders of The Democratic Voice of Burma. My assistant Alexander and I took advantage of the opportunity to ask him about the use of small video cameras.
We also asked about the upcoming elections in Burma and what he expects the role of the VJ’s to be in that context.
Burma VJ has won some 30 International awards, the latest being the Grierson Best Documentary Award in Britain. The film is now on a short-list for best documentary at the Academy Awards. The finalists will be announced on February 2nd. I’m hoping that Burma VJ will be among them, because not only is this a cause that deserves all the attention it can get, but because it is also truly a great film.
Thanks for the help with this blog post to Alexander Carson and Jessica Berglund.
