The Revolution
Fall Grants 2023 - Post-Production Stage
Min Min Hein / Feature Documentary / Myanmar, Qatar / 90 min / Original Language: Burmese / Interests: History
Synopsis
On 1 February 2021, a military coup in Myanmar overthrew the democratically elected government. The following evening, Min, alongside fellow citizens, began protesting by banging pots and pans, symbolising their dissent. Through his documentary, Min documents his and his compatriots’ experiences and protests, seeing filmmaking as his form of rebellion and a means to reclaim the freedom of expression lost since the coup. By 19 February, the violence escalates with Mya Thwe Thwe Khine’s death, marking a grim turn as the military and police start using lethal force against protesters and dissenters alike.
By April, the situation intensifies; even filming is deemed a crime, and protests morph into guerrilla warfare. Many from Gen-Z, facing arrest, seek military training in the jungles with ethnic armed groups. Min manages to document this training and the varied individuals involved, from women and medics to students and lawyers, all united in the Civil Disobedience Movement or as part of ethnic militias. Min’s narrative weaves through these diverse encounters, providing a collective insight into their revolutionary journey. Ultimately, Min attempts to escape Myanmar with this footage to share his protagonists’ stories of struggle and resilience.
Credits
- Director
- Min Min Hein
- Producer
- Charlotte Reekers, Maria Mousas, Min Min Hein
- Production Company
- BurmaCat Films
About the Director
Min Min Hein is a Myanmar-born filmmaker currently based in France. A Fulbright scholar, he earned his MFA in Film from the City College of New York, becoming the first Myanmar/US Fulbright scholarship recipient in Film. Min has participated in prestigious fellowships, including the Asian Film Academy (2014) and the Zurich Film Festival Academy (2019). He has produced and directed several short narrative and documentary films, such as ‘Listen’ (2017), reflecting his deep exploration of human emotions, sociology, and existence through cinema. In 2018, he founded BurmaCat Films in Yangon, Myanmar, focusing on independent film production. He is currently working on his debut feature-length documentary about the Myanmar military coup and the revolution.