SUNDAY 9 | 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. 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 February 8
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