Golden Kingdom
Written and Directed by Brian Perkins
Germany, USA, Myanmar / 2015 / Burmese with English subtitles / 101 min / Drama

With their monastery nestled in the jungle hills of Myanmar, life cycles peacefully for four very young Buddhist monks. One day the head abbot (U Zaw Ti Ka, himself a Buddhist sayadaw) learns he must depart on a journey through the mountain pass. Alone and exposed, the four young boys, led by Witazara (12-year old Shine Htet Zaw), must now fend for themselves. With mounting challenges, encroaching war and mysterious forces around them, Witazara must choose whether to follow the master into the pass. This vivid film by American Brian Perkins is infused with both Burmese folk storytelling and Buddhist tradition, dreams and dharma, life and death. Powerfully filmed on location in Myanmar before the military coup made producing a film like this impossible there.

Guardians of Paradise
Written and Directed by Ivan Maria Friedman
Switzerland, Myanmar / 2021 / 12 min.

This short is an intimate and elegantly made glimpse into Burmese life and culture in the months preceding the 2021 military coup. At a time when the people of Myanmar need international attention and help the most, this film offers a sense of the uniqueness of Burmese culture, and bears witness to the true strength of the people that lies in compassion, gracefulness, generosity, and human dignity.

“It breathes peace and wisdom. It brings one closer to the truth”—Terrence Malick