BURMA VJ - REPORTING FROM A CLOSED COUNTRY (BURMA VJ - REPORTER I ET LUKKET LAND)

Undercover video journalists in Burma. Their arms: small hand-held cameras. Their job and ambition: to maintain the flow of news out of their closed country. Though risking torture and life in jail, the VJs live the essence of journalism. Their material is smuggled out of the country and broadcast back into Burma via satellite and offered free for use by international media. For the very first time, individual images which we are used to digesting as news clips have been carefully put together. At once, they tell a much bigger story. The result is dramatic images of tension, blood, courage and resistance from the historical days of September 2007, when the Buddhist monks started marching. They offer unique insights into high-risk journalism and dissidence in a police state. "After a few days of hope and ecstasy, a few days of killing followed, and the generals got back in control as they always have before. Yet, in one respect the uprising marked a remarkable progress – simply because we know about it." (Anders Østergaard)

Joris Ivens Award, IDFA Amsterdam  2008; Cinema for Peace Award, Berlinale 2009; Vaclav Havel Special Award, One World, Prag 2009; World Cinema Documentary Editing Award, Sundance Film Festival 2009; Best Documentary, It's All True, 14. International Documentary Film Festival, Sao Paulo 2009