Anders Ostergard; Rating * * * *
The smudged, smuggled footage of recent turbulence in Iran and China that has been circulating on the web gives a topical edge to Burma VJ, Anders Ostergard’s eye-opening and inspiring look at an underground cadre of guerilla film makers who have risked their lives to document the freedom struggles of people in ‘Myanmar’.
In summer 2007 a group of monks there led a rebellion, triggered by price hikes for fuel, against the dictatorship that has ruled the nation for four decades. Immediately, foreign news reporters were banished and the internet was censored. A brave group, calling itself The Democratic Voice of Burma, armed itself with digicams to record demonstrations, give voice to protestors, and to capture evidence of military brutality.
That footage, smuggled to Norway via Thailand, is raw and compelling. The story of how it was sneaked out is worthy of the best thrillers. Burma VJ is crucial testament to the will of a suffering people to ensure the world does not forget them.