Burmese Dreaming
Director timothy syrota
Countries Thailand
Duration 50 min
Synopsis
A girl has a nightmare about the killing of her father by soldiers in a mountain village in Burma. She wakes up. She is in a refugee camp on the Thai-Burma border. She has been here for six years but still this is not where her mind lives. Instead it drifts between the realities of refugee life and dreams and day-dreams about Burma and a life she used to live. She remembers being imprisoned by the Burmese military at the age of five, she day-dreams about her buffalo friend, Zu Zu Ma, she has imaginary conversations with fishermen friends, and then her mind returns to reflections on life in the refugee camp. And through these dreams, day-dreams, and reflections the girl’s story – and a story of life in Burma - unfolds. Burmese Dreaming is a creative non-fiction based upon stories from the life of a refugee, Say Say La. This narrative is supplemented by stories contributed by students of the English Immersion Program based in Umphiem Mai Refugee Camp. Narrators for the film are themselves refugees and this narrative is punctuated by an interview with former Australian Ambassador to Burma, Mr Garry Woodard. The footage for the film has been shot throughout central and southern Burma and includes footage from pro-democracy demonstrations and the refugee camps on the Thailand-Burma border. Burmese Dreaming has a fully composed original musical score. This combines traditional and contemporary music, sound design and wild sound arrangement. One of the two composers, David Lazaro, is the son of a former Burmese concert pianist. With regard director, Timothy Syrota, this is his first feature documentary although he has shot and directed a number of videos concerning Burma and its refugees on behalf of International Non Government Organizations. Timothy is the author of ‘Welcome to Burma and Enjoy the Totalitarian Experience’, and his reportage photography from the Thai-Burma border has won international prizes and commendations for feature photojournalism.
A girl has a nightmare about the killing of her father by soldiers in a mountain village in Burma. She wakes up. She is in a refugee camp on the Thai-Burma border. She has been here for six years but still this is not where her mind lives. Instead it drifts between the realities of refugee life and dreams and day-dreams about Burma and a life she used to live. She remembers being imprisoned by the Burmese military at the age of five, she day-dreams about her buffalo friend, Zu Zu Ma, she has imaginary conversations with fishermen friends, and then her mind returns to reflections on life in the refugee camp. And through these dreams, day-dreams, and reflections the girl’s story – and a story of life in Burma - unfolds. Burmese Dreaming is a creative non-fiction based upon stories from the life of a refugee, Say Say La. This narrative is supplemented by stories contributed by students of the English Immersion Program based in Umphiem Mai Refugee Camp. Narrators for the film are themselves refugees and this narrative is punctuated by an interview with former Australian Ambassador to Burma, Mr Garry Woodard. The footage for the film has been shot throughout central and southern Burma and includes footage from pro-democracy demonstrations and the refugee camps on the Thailand-Burma border. Burmese Dreaming has a fully composed original musical score. This combines traditional and contemporary music, sound design and wild sound arrangement. One of the two composers, David Lazaro, is the son of a former Burmese concert pianist. With regard director, Timothy Syrota, this is his first feature documentary although he has shot and directed a number of videos concerning Burma and its refugees on behalf of International Non Government Organizations. Timothy is the author of ‘Welcome to Burma and Enjoy the Totalitarian Experience’, and his reportage photography from the Thai-Burma border has won international prizes and commendations for feature photojournalism.