Documentary film about Mrauk-U wins international award

By Admin 02 May 2023

DMG Newsroom
2 May 2023, Mrauk-U

My Hidden City, a documentary film about Arakan State’s ancient royal capital Mrauk-U, won the award for best short documentary at a French international film festival.

The film won for the March, April edition of the Golden Giraffe Film Festival in Nice, France, on May 1, according to Daw Khin Than, planning officer for the Dr. Saw Mra Aung Foundation.

“We got an email from producer Kimball [Gallagher], who notified us that the film won the award. This film also reached the semifinals in [other] international film festivals. And it has won the award this time,” said Daw Khin Than.

The documentary was a joint effort between American director Barry Pousman and Myanmar director Wunna Kyaw. The film was shot over six days in February 2018. It was made possible with support from the Dr. Saw Mra Aung Foundation and Kimball Gallagher.

The film highlights the traditions and customs of Arakanese people, and the pagodas and temples of the ancient city of Mrauk-U, said Daw Khin Than.

“We are motivated by our desire to conserve the cultural heritage in Mrauk-U. We hoped that making this film would contribute to Mrauk-U’s bid for UNESCO recognition,” she said.

The film has been screened in eight languages and over 30 countries including France, the United States, Ireland, Argentina and Japan.

A final proposal intended to put Mrauk-U on the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites was submitted in December 2021.

UNESCO experts are expected to make a field visit to Mrauk-U in June or July, after which the World Heritage Committee will decide the fate of Mrauk-U. It remains unclear when exactly UNESCO experts will make the field visit, however, according to the Mrauk-U Cultural Heritage Conservation Group.