WEDNESDAY 18 | The first punk rock music arrived in Burma on cassette tapes carried by sailors in the ’90s, igniting a growing movement in the capital. For young Burmese, punk provides a radical way to spit their political frustrations in the face of the much-despised government. Lyrics condemn miserable living conditions in a scream for freedom and human rights. The main characters in Yangon Calling: Punk In Myanmar, by Berlin-based filmmakers Alexander Dluzak and Carsten Piefke, are leading members of Myanmar’s punk scene, filmed in secret for six months without official permission. Small, undetectable cameras followed them in homes, work places, rehearsal spaces and illegal gigs to capture the underground culture. The voices of people representing the scene and imprisoned during the dictatorship are also heard. Says rokumentti.com: ‘Yangon Calling is a film about a country where punk is still true rebellion and literally a fight for freedom, and not just a random bunch of slogans and a way to dress. The music represents a lifeline amid the stranglehold of the government and personal hardships. Any talk about the death of punk is much exaggerated, at least when it comes to this vigorous documentary.’
WHO: Punks, old and new
WHAT: Yangon Calling: Punk In Myanmar screening
WHERE: Meta House, #37 Sothearos Blvd.
WHEN: 7pm September 18
WHY: ‘Yangon Calling is a film about a country where punk is still true rebellion and literally a fight for freedom, and not just a random bunch of slogans and a way to dress.’ – rokumentti.com