Na Gyi (Burmese: ဏကြီး; born May 2, 1981) is a Burmese film director, known for his works, Mi (2018) and What Happened to the Wolf? (2021). He has gained significant recognition within the Burmese film industry and has also made a mark on the international film scene.[1][2] He is considered a promising and prominent filmmaker in Myanmar Cinema.
Na Gyi | |
|---|---|
| ဏကြီး | |
| Born | 2 May 1981 (age 43) Yangon, Myanmar |
| Nationality | Burmese |
| Occupation(s) | writer, director |
| Notable work | Mi (2018), What Happened to the Wolf? (2021) |
| Spouse | Paing Phyo Thu |
| Parents |
|
| Awards | Best Director of Photography (AIFFA: 2019) Best Director of Photography (Star Awards: 2019) Best Narrative Feature (Dili International Film Festival: 2021) Hornorary Tribute Award (Oldenburg International Film Festival: 2024) |
Early life and education
editNa Gyi was born in Yangon, Myanmar on 2 May 1981. He passed matriculation from BEHS (1), Dagon in 1998. During the study of engineering at Yangon Technology University, he left for London for further study. He studied Digital Filmmaking at Raindance, London. Na Gyi married Paing Phyo Thu, the lead actress[3] from his debut film, Mi on January 1, 2019.
Career
editNa Gyi's career took off when his first feature film, Mi[4] was screened across the country in Myanmar. The film was an adaptation of the novel, "Mi" by prominent and well-respected novelist, Kyi Aye.[5] Although expectations were high, the film was well received by the audience. There were harsh public criticisms at Myanmar Academy Awards (2018) for leaving Mi with no award.[6]
Mi received 2 nominations (Best Actress, Best Film) and 1 award (Best Director of Photography) at ASEAN international Film Festival and Awards, 2019.[7] Mi was also officially selected for Cardiff International Film Festival (2020) and Festival International de Cinema de Lleida Visual Art (2020).
Na Gyi's second film, What Happened to the Wolf?[8] was officially selected and held the world premiere at Oldenburg International Film Festival in 2021. Due to the 2021 Myanmar coup ďétat, Na Gyi and Paing Phyo Thu were in hiding and not able to attend the Oldenburg International Film Festival (2021).[9]
Political activities
editFollowing the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état, Na Gyi and Paing Phyo Thu were actively participated in anti-coup rallies and utilized social media to denounce the military junta. On 17 February 2021, warrant for his arrest was issued under section 505 (a) of the Myanmar Penal Code by the State Administration Council for speaking out against the Military Coup and supporting Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM) along with several other celebrities.[10] Consequently, Na Gyi and Paing Phyo Thu were forced into hiding to evade capture.[11][12][13]
Na Gyi has been a advocate for the implementation of the Rating System in Myanmar, challenging the country's strict censorship laws. This initiative, known as the "Rating System Now" campaign, aimed to promote creative freedom and artistic expression within the Burmese film industry. The campaign gained significant support from the Burmese film industry, with many artists and filmmakers rallying behind the cause.[14]
Na Gyi founded Artist's Shelter in Mae Sot, Thailand to help and support Myanmar artists in exile in August, 2023.[15] Recognizing the urgent need for a safe space for artists displaced by the political turmoil, Na Gyi established the organization to provide support, resources, and opportunities for creative expression to Myanmar artists in exile. Artist's Shelter provides a safe and supportive environment, enabling artists to continue their work, and advocates for freedom of expression.[16]
Filmography
edit- London Tale (2008) (Writer/Director/Actor)
- Where do you come from? What are you doing? Where are you going? (2012) (Writer/Director)
- Let There Be Dark (short film, 2012) (Associate Producer)
- Bo Ma (2014) (Writer/Director)
- Mi (2018) (Writer/Director)
- What Happened to the Wolf? (2021) (Writer/Director)
Awards and nominations
edit| Year | Award | Category | Film | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Myanmar Motion Picture Academy Awards | Best Director of Photography | Mi | Nominated |
| 2019 | ASEAN International Film Festival & Awards | Best Director of Photography | Mi | Won |
| 2019 | Star Awards | Best Director of Photography | Mi | Won |
| 2021 | Dili International Film Festival | Best Narrative Feature | What Happened to the Wolf? | Won |
| 2021 | Oldenburg International Film Festival | Best Film | What Happened to the Wolf? | Nominated |
| 2022 | Hobnobben Film Festival | Best Narrative Feature | What Happened to the Wolf? | Won |
| 2024 | Oldenburg International Film Festival | Honorary Tribute Award[17] | - | Won |
References
edit- ^ "Na Gyi - the Bright Future of Myanmar Cinema". The Irrawaddy News. The Irrawaddy News. 27 Dec 2019.
- ^ Roxborough, Scott (August 20, 2024). "Oldenburg Festival Unveils Competition Lineup, Tribute to Exiled Filmmakers". The Hollywood Reporter.
- ^ "Defying convention to find another kind of success". The Myanmar Times. 21 Mar 2019.
- ^ "A movie about Mi". The Myanmar Times. 23 August 2018.
- ^ "Kyi Aye: A life well lived". The Myanmar Times. 2018-08-23. Retrieved 2022-01-05.
- ^ "Harsh Public Criticism for Myanmar Academy Awards". The Irrawaddy. 2019-03-28. Retrieved 2021-12-20.
- ^ April 2019, ချစ်ပိုး 28 (2019-04-28). "ASEAN International Film Festival မွာ "မီ" ဇာတ္ကားနဲ႔ဆုရခဲ့တဲ့ ဒါ႐ိုက္တာဏႀကီး". ဧရာဝတီ. Retrieved 2022-01-06.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ Felperin, Leslie (2021-09-16). "'What Happened to the Wolf?': Film Review | Oldenburg 2021". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2021-12-20.
- ^ Roxborough, Scott (2021-09-16). "'What Happened to the Wolf?' Director Na Gyi on His Life in Hiding From the Myanmar Junta". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2021-12-20.
- ^ "စစ်ကောင်စီကိုဆန့်ကျင်တဲ့ အနုပညာရှင်တွေကို ဆက်တိုက်အမှုဖွင့်နေ". Radio Free Asia. Retrieved 2021-12-20.
- ^ Sandi Sidhu and Helen Regan. "Burmese actress goes into hiding as celebrities opposing Myanmar coup added to arrest list". CNN. Retrieved 2022-01-07.
- ^ "Paing Phyo Thu". Mizzima Myanmar News and Insight. Retrieved 2022-01-07.
- ^ Roxborough, Scott (September 16, 2021). "'What Happened to the Wolf?' Director Na Gyi on His Life in Hiding From the Myanmar Junta". The Hollywood Reporter.
- ^ Soe, Tina (September 30, 2023). "Lens of defiance: The Myanmar film industry's fight to survive in a new era of censorship". Myanmar Now.
- ^ Nadi, Khin (July 1, 2023). "Myanmar Art is in Exile, But its Power is Rising". The Irrawaddy.
- ^ Lynn, Thura (September 27, 2023). "The Artists' Shelter provides space for artists in exile". Democratic Voice of Burma.
- ^ Roxborough, Scott (August 20, 2024). "Oldenburg Festival Unveils Competition Lineup, Tribute to Exiled Filmmakers". The Hollywood Reporter.