Letter to San Zaw Htway

    • Petr Lom
    • Netherlands
    • 2021
    • 25 min
    • World Premiere
    • Frontlight

    Artist and political activist San Zaw Htway experienced the full force of military repression in Myanmar back in 1999, when he was sentenced to 36 years in prison for involvement in the re-establishment of the banned student union. Twelve years later, under a more lenient regime, he was released.

    In 2021, an aggressive military regime seized power again in a coup, brutally crushing mass protests. Friends, relatives, and other former political prisoners write letters to San, in whom they find comfort, understanding, and good advice. Despite everything, he never lost his spirit during his years of imprisonment.

    The remarkable and sometimes shocking images of the recent demonstrations against the regime are interspersed with home videos of San. The deftly edited footage and letter excerpts tell a tragic story of an extraordinary person and a country torn apart.

    Credits

    • 25 min
    • color
    • DCP
    • Spoken languages: Burmese, English
    • Subtitles in: English
    Director
    Petr Lom
    Production
    Corinne van Egeraat / Zindoc
    Executive producer
    Jean Tsien
    Co-production
    Mette Cheng Munthe-Kaas for Ten Thousand Images
    Cinematography
    Bo Thet Htun, Petr Lom

    IDFA history

    2021
    World Premiere
    Frontlight

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    IDFA history

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