Mizzima

Mizzima has been hosting the latest in a series of documentaries by filmmakers MyanmarDocs that look at several key issues of post-coup Myanmar.

This is the fourth in a series of underground documentaries, made by independent Myanmar film makers and journalists, giving an insight into the suffering in Karenni State, the hardship of the Shan people, the lives of underground journalists, and in the last episode investigating the downfall of nature protection since the coup. 

MyanmarDocs.org gives the viewer a window over places and situations which are rarely accessible. The series gives many ordinary people from around the country a voice, and it gives a feel of what’s going on in Myanmar.

Here are brief descriptions of the documentaries that can be found on Mizzima.com.

Journey Through Karenni State (29’50 minutes)

In the months after the coup all over Myanmar fighting brook out between the Myanmar Army and people resisting the military junta. One of the areas with intensive fighting was Kayah State, or Karenni State as the Karenni people like to call it.  On May 21, 2021, the first battle between State Administration Council troops and local fighters took place. It was at Daw Nga Khar village, Demoso Township in Karenni State. When the fighting started, the people from Daw Nga Khar and other nearby villages fled to safer places and one-an-a-half years later they are still on the run. In this documentary film maker Karenni Eye gives the refugees, IDPs and local villagers a voice to tell about their misery.

Underground Journalists (24’15 minutes)

Press freedom ended after the 2021 coup in Myanmar. Those who report the news without permission can, if arrested, be tortured to death. Those who survived the torture suffer long-term imprisonment. It is dangerous to do journalism under the miliary regime. The army targets journalists because they want to hide what is happening, their atrocities. This documentary tells the story of four Myanmar journalists who put their lives at risk just by doing their jobs. This story by Burma Bear is about how they’ve survived two years of military rule and what motivates them to keep on doing their dangerous work.

What is Happening in Shan State? (28’00 minutes)

In Shan State there are many different ethnic armed groups: Shan, Pa Oo, Pa Laung, Wa and there’re more. Not only Burmese military and Shan armed groups were fighting for decades, the two Shan armed groups are fighting each other for decades as well. The people in Shan State are forced to facilitate this fighting. With food, money, and with blood, when their sons are forced to join one of the groups. Due to this internal conflict the Shan barely benefited from the economic boom after 2012 and now they suffer from the economic collapse after the generals sized power. Three Shan women give their perspective on the situation in their state, where the danger does not only come from the Tatmadaw, but also from their own people.

Guardians of Nature Under Threat (27’00 minutes)

Myanmar is well-known for its biodiversity. It harbours more than 230 globally endangered species. However, overexploitation of its natural resources degraded the natural environment. Myanmar is also one of the most vulnerable countries to the consequences of climate change. Researchers and civil society organizations have been joining hands on environmental conservation, starting from the community all the way up to the government level. But most of these efforts slowed down or came to a complete halt after the 2021 military coup. And the lawlessness that comes with the new civil war creates opportunities for illegal exploitation of natural resources. To make things worse, that military junta takes all kinds of measures to control Myanmar and foreign NGOs. Not only the people of Myanmar suffer from military rule, but nature does too.