HKIFF#1 - Burma VJ – reporting from a closed country

Burma VJ official website

Burma VJ – reporting from a closed country, a film by Anders Ostergaard, a documentary about the uprising from the Burmese people during September of 2007. Compare to other typical documentary, this particular one detour quite a bit. The entire movie compose of small clips from various ‘civilian reporters’ lives in Burma, reporters with no proper training but just click and snap image thru their digital image capture devices. Part of the film based on the civilian reporters’ memories and narration. In order to protect these reports, some scenes relayed to the reporters, places were deleted.

There is about 30 minutes after screening Q&A session. The film maker answered about 10 questions from the audiences.

Ostergaard wanted to film about Burma, but later on he feels the typical documentary maybe a bit too subjective and he rather choose to use the source from these civilian reporters.

Some audiences questioned the ‘re-composition’ is not exactly a filming documentary method. The re-composition refers to a conversion between the civilian reporter and the monk. This conversion never been filmed, and was re-composted afterwards. The audience opinion suggests it should give the reporters an interview, but the film maker thinks that the more important part to bring the audiences the info first, then analyze later. I don’t really agree with this point of view and I think the re-composition is necessary. This is not an ordinary documentary film, but to help these civilian reporters to send out the messages to other people. These reporters are in a very difficult position; they have to reuse their tapes a lot and for these little faults are very understandable.

The civilian reporters provided another definition of documentary film, a documentary film not driven by the film maker.