Asian Am Filmmakers

Indie Documentary Film Short: I Met a Man From Burma

I Met A Man from Burma Documentary Film JadeLuckClub Jade Luck Club http://JadeLuckClub.com Celebrating Asian American Creativity Diversity Tiger Mom Amy Chua Asian American Culture Pride
I Met A Man from Burma Documentary Film JadeLuckClub Jade Luck Club http://JadeLuckClub.com Celebrating Asian American Creativity Diversity Tiger Mom Amy Chua Asian American Culture Pride

I Met a Man from Burma is a documentary film short produced and directed by Tara Browne. It will premiere in Vancouver in late June 2011 (date TBA) as part of the Vancity Theatre’s Reel Causes documentary showcase.

A 22-minute long documentary short, I Met a Man from Burma, is an interwoven tapestry of frank interviews with Lo Bo in Toronto, coupled with live footage and vivid imagery from today’s Burma. Captured by Canadian photojournalist Brennan O’Connor, the images speak to the devastation of culture, the loss of innocence, and the vitality of a nation.

Ler Wah Lo Bo was a teacher and revolutionary fighter for the Karen National Union’s [KNU) Karen National Liberation Army [KNLA]—representing the largest ethnic minority in Burma and seeking autonomy from the oppressive military regime. After 16 years of service, Lo Bo left the KNU and helped to set up refugee camps and NGO mapping and monitoring systems for land mines.

In 2002, Lo Bo settled in Toronto, Canada—leaving his wife and three children behind. Over the years, he has applied for his permanent residence but has been denied; the Canadian government has deemed his involvement with the KNU and KNLA as unlawful. Without papers he cannot travel or sponsor his family. In November 2007, Leh Wah’s wife (who had relocated with her children to North Carolina) was killed in a car accident; Ler Wah was unable to attend the funeral and has not seen his family since 2001.

Now 53, Lo Bo is an advocate for Burma. In Toronto, he works as a phone interpreter for Karen people across North America, and helps newly-arrived Karen refugees. He is a reputed musician within his community and is focused on educating the Burmese youth along the Thai-Burma border. His goal: to visit his children, to see his homeland, to bring peace to his country, and to build schools for his people.

Diversity Face Films was founded in 2010 by Tara Browne—a working actor, and director and producer. Trained in theatre and inspired by the free form of indie films, she hopes to bring an eclectic vibrancy to the big screen.

p.s. I have a post on Burma on my other blog, PragmaticMom Teach Me Tuesday: Burma.

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Tags: Asian culture, Aung San Suu Kyi, Best Asian American filmmakers, Brennan O’Connor, Burma, Diversity Face Films, documentary, ethnic minority Burma, I Met A Man From Burma, Karen National Liberation Army, Karen National Union, PragmaticMom, Tara Browne

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2 Responses to “Indie Documentary Film Short: I Met a Man From Burma”

  1. On July 8, 2011 at 3:19 pm Burma Movies responded with... #

    Interesting documentary. I absolutely love documentaries, especially ones on Burma. I recently watched another Burmese documentary called Nickel City Smiler, it was sooooo good!

    Reply
    • On July 9, 2011 at 9:11 am admin responded with... #

      To Burma Movies,
      Thanks for the heads up on the other Burmese documentary. It also sounds great.

      Reply

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