The documentary Touching the Fire won the Aung San Suu Kyi Award for the best national documentary at the Human Rights Human Dignity International Film Festival 2015 (HRHDIFF).
The HRHDIFF 2015, organised by the Human Dignity Film Institute, was held from 15 to 19 June in Rangoon, it featured 67 international and national films, including films about political, economic, social and cultural rights.
Min Than Oo, the director of Touching the Fire said: “At this film festival, there were seven awards, and the Aung San Suu Kyi award is the most prestigious of them all. Of the 67 films, 10 were documentaries, of the documentaries our film Touching the Fire won the award.”
Touching the Fire was directed by Min Than Oo and produced by the Human Rights Foundation of Monland (HURFOM) in early 2015. After production, DVD copies were widely distributed, especially in Mon communities.
Min Than Oo said “The Human Dignity Film Institute [film festival] included topics on human rights, children's rights, and women. They [especially] wanted films concerned with women rights participating this year.”
The subject of Touching the Fire was the difference in views of government officials and local people towards the coal-fired power plant project proposed by the Toyo Thai company. The project will cost $2,700 million USD and have the capacity to produce 1200 megawatts of electricity.
“In Mon State, currently, this issue is a very important one", explained Min Than Oo.
Other films honoured at the HRHDIFF 2015 included:
The Look of Silence by Joshua Oppenheimer, which won the Aung San Suu Kyi Award for the best international documentary.
The Buffalo Boy by Mai Ah Nway, which won the Min Ko Naing and Hantharwaddy U Win Tin Award for the best national short film.
I Wanna Go to School by Nyan Kyal Say, which won the March 13 Award for best national animation.
Across by Phyo Zayar Kyaw, Pyae Zaw Phyo and Kaung Sint, which won the Vaclav Havel Library Award for the best national documentary film.
Wellgyi by Thu Thu Swe Thein, Htet Aung San, and Kam Khan Sing, which won the Peter Wintonick Award for the best national student film.
HRHDIFF was established in 2013, and from 2013-2014, it showed more than 120 films, while so far this year it has shown around 67 films.
Edited in English by Mark Inkey for BNI
