During the past editions, our distinguished Patrons Catherine Deneuve (France) and Grace Swe Zin Htaik (Myanmar) are joined by celebrated worldwide actresses Isabelle Huppert and Michelle Yeoh.
The festival also welcomed directors Tsai Ming-liang, Pascale Ferran, Tan Pin Pin, Olivier Assayas, Midi Z, Phan Dang Di, Tran Anh Hung, Michel Hazanavicius, Davy Chou, Régis Wargnier, Eddie Cahyono or Claude Mourieras. Also joined by artists as Tran Nu Yen-Khe, Clothilde Coureau, Cheng Pei Pei or Lee Kang Sheng among many others…
In 2019, MEMORY! has explored the theme Life Together, an exciting theme in a country as diverse and culturally complex as Myanmar. Over fifty classics and recent works have been shown. Alongside this main theme, the edition also included a tribute to Agnes Varda and Lino Brocka as well a carte blanche to 3-ACT, the first Myanmar art-house cinema magazine.
As every year, the festival taken place in the oldest cinema in Myanmar, the Waziya, build in 1920 as well as an open air cinema in the popular venue of Mahahabandoola Park.
Isabelle Huppert at Rosewood Hotel, Yangon, 2019
MEMORY! Festival presents each year an international conference. It is on a topic closely related to the main theme of the festival. A first of its kind in Myanmar, this interdisciplinary conference aims to explore the idea of film censorship in a broad cultural context, inviting connections between various forms of censorship and across historical circumstances. We open the floor to Myanmar-based and international presenters to join us in addressing this topic from a variety of perspectives including case studies, theoretical investigations, problem-oriented arguments, and comparative analyses.
2017 theme: THE CENSORSHIP
Opening keynote: H.E Kristian Schmidt . European Union Ambassador to Myanmar
Speakers: U Thein Naing . Director of Myanmar Censorship Board (MMPDB) / Dr. Howard Besser . Professor of Cinema Studies at New York University / Ma Shin Daewe . Independent woman filmmaker, directing mentor at Yangon Film School / Manshur Zikri . Indonesian researcher, critic and curator / Patrick F. Campos . Independent film critic and assistant professor at the University of the Philippines / Dr. Saw Tiong Guan . Senior lecturer at the Faculty of Law, University of Malaya / Tan Pin Pin . Singaporean female director / Thaiddhi . Burmese producer & co-founder of Wathann Film Festival.
Closing remarks: Dr. Paul D. Grant . Cinema teacher at the University of San Carlos, Philippines.
Chair: Theo Stojanov . PhD Candidat in Film & Moving Image Studies, Concordia University, Canada.
2018 theme: PRESS & DEMOCRACY ON SILVER SCREEN
Opening keynote: H.E Christian Lechervy . France Ambassador to Myanmar
Speakers: Tim Aye Hardy . Founder of myME (Myanmar Mobile Education Project) / Dr Howard Besser . Professor of Cinema Studies at New York University / Suresh Chabria . Professor of Film Appreciation, former director of the National Film Archive of India / Kiri Dalena . Visual artist, filmmaker and Filipino activist / Eko Maryadi . Indonesia journalist & Former President of Southeast Asian Press Alliance (SEAPA) / Sonny Swe . CEO and co-founder of Myanmar magazine Frontier / Ma Thida . Writer & human rights Myanmar activist. Board member of PEN International / Roland B. Tolentino . Faculty member of University of the Philippines Film Institute.
Closing remarks: Dr. Paul D. Grant . Cinema teacher at the University of San Carlos, Philippines.
Chair: Theo Stojanov . PhD Candidat in Film & Moving Image Studies, Concordia University, Canada.
Myanmar Script Fund is a program for emerging local filmmakers and producers developing their first or second full-length feature film, fiction only. MSF is intended to help connect promising Burmese filmmakers with international audiences. The program has two components: MSF Original is reserved for new projects and applicants. Each year, six projects are selected and benefit from tailored coaching sessions. At the end of the session, they are part of a pitching competition in front of an international jury. MSF Advanced is dedicated to MSF alumni with the presentation of a previously selected project. Six projects are selected among the most mature. This part of MSF offers one-to-one coaching sessions with tutors before meetings with worldwide film industry decision-makers (festivals, funds, markets…).
Director Midi Z (left), President of the jury, MSF 2017
Associated with the Myanmar Journalism Institute, Memory! have developed the Journalism & Culture program. We strongly believe that culture is not only entertainment but also a key pillar for all democracies. We believe also that the press’ freedom is a key condition to develop the democracy. Our common objective is to involve Myanmar emerging journalists to cover such a culture event which is also a political & social event.
The participants to the curriculum are 20 students from Myanmar Journalism Institute. The workshop takes place during the festival and it supervises by professional journalists Carol Isoux, Jérôme Boruszewski, Laure Siegel & Thierry Falise.
The workshop is shared in two parts: theorical sessions (festival’s opening) and practice with daily coverage of the festival. At the end, a newspaper in Burmese, Bioscope News, gathered all the articles. It is printed in 3.000 free copies.
This program was specifically supported by Parliaments & People Program / University of SOAS (London).