YANGON — A new exhibit at The Secretariat is aiming to inspire a new generation of artists by screening a few classics from Myanmar cinema stretching back to the 1950s over the next few weeks.
“The Art and Influence of Myanmar’s Film Heritage,” curated by arts collaborative Pyinsa Rasa and Save Myanmar Film, opens Saturday at the historic Secretariat building in downtown Yangon.
“We would love to show Myanmar’s film heritage to the young generation. We hope that they can get a true taste of Myanmar film from the golden age from this event and discover what Myanmar film’s identity is,” said Ko Thaiddhi, co-founder of Pyinsa Rasa and the Wathann Film Festival.
“The new generation of filmmakers and artists can also get some inspiration after watching theses old and creative films,” he added.
Organizers will screen three movies, each from a different decade of Myanmar film: Yadanarbon, from 1953; Tender are the Feet, from 1973; and Thingyan Moe, from 1985. Each screening will be preceded by a related musical performance, including a traditional Myanmar orchestra and pop songs.
“In organizing a history of film like this, we can’t leave out the A1 Film Company, because it played an important part in Myanmar’s film history. So we will screen A1 Film’s Yadanarbon, directed by U Tin Maung, the first week, and the Gitameit music group will perform Yadanarbon’s theme song before show time,” Ko Thaiddhi said.
The exhibit will start with a 5 p.m. showing of Yadanarbon on Saturday, followed by daily screenings of the film at 2 p.m. until March 31.
Ko Thaiddhi hopes the exhibit will allow audiences to share in the joy and creativity of generations of artists, and that a new generation can look back at their predecessors for inspiration in order to forge a cultural identity of their own.
Tickets are 2,000 kyats for locals and 10,000 kyats for foreigners.
