Burma Storybook

Democracy is in its infancy in Myanmar (the former Burma), a country that started licking the wounds of 50 years of military dictatorship in 2011. In this documentary, the Dutch Corinne van Egeraat and her Czech partner Petr Lom portray the country on the basis of poetry, an art form much loved by its inhabitants and centring on famous poet and activist Maung Aung Pwint, who spent large parts of his adult life in prison.
The poet, affected by Parkinson’s disease in his old age, looks forward to being reunited with his son who emigrated to Finland 20 years ago. Captivating landscapes, intimate family scenes and exceptional street shots reveal a country in transition. People prefer not to talk about the past, however Maung Aung Pwint shows how hard that is. “Life makes me forget what I’d like to remember and makes me remember what I’d rather forget.”

With a special screening on Saturday 28 January at 14:30, followed by a conversation concerning poetry and cinema in collaboration with Poetry International.