Armed with small handy cams, undercover Video Journalists in Burma keep up the flow of news from their closed country despite risking torture and life in jail. Their material is smuggled out of Burma and broadcast back via satellite. ‘Joshua’, age 27, becomes tactical leader of a group of reporters, as Buddhist monks in September 2007 lead a massive uprising. Foreign TV crews are banned from the country, so it’s left to Joshua and his crew to keep the revolution alive on TV screens all over. As government intelligence understands the power of the camera, the VJs become their prime target. Footage from the uprising in Burma screens on every news channel. But who are the reporters behind the cameras? How do they work?
Anders Høgsbro Østergaard
Anders Høgsbro Østergaard is born in 1965. Graduated from the Danish School of Journalism in 1991. Awarded Best Documentary at Odense International Film Festival in 1999 for ‘Troldkarlen’. Writer-director on ‘Tintin et moi’ (2003), and the documentary ‘Gasolin’ (2006). ‘Burma VJ’ is his latest film.
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Burma VJ - Reporting From a Closed Country
Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Great Britain
2008, 85', color, video
Directed by:
Anders Høgsbro Østergaard
Screenplay by:
Jan Krogsgaard, Anders Østergaard
Cinematography:
Simon Plum, Burma's Undercover reporters
Edited by:
Thomas Papapteros, Janus Billeskov Jansen
Music:
Conny Malmqvist
Producer:
Lise Lense-Møller
Produced by:
Magic Hour Films
Festivals & Awards:
IDFA - Joris Ivens Award, Movies That Matter Award; CPH:DOX - Best Doc Award, Amnesty Award
