Twilight Over Burma (Burmese: မြန်မာ့ဆည်းဆာ) is a 2015 Austrian biographical film based on the eponymous novel, an autobiography written by Inge Sargent, the Austrian-born consort of Sao Kya Seng, the last saopha of Hsipaw.[2] The film was directed by Sabine Derflinger and produced by Dor Film; it premiered in Austria on October 26, 2015.[3]
| Twilight Over Burma | |
|---|---|
 Poster | |
| Burmese | မြန်မာ့ဆည်းဆာ |
| Directed by | Sabine Derflinger |
| Screenplay by | Rupert Henning |
| Based on | Twilight Over Burma: My Life as a Shan Princess[1] by Inge Sargent |
| Produced by | Isabelle Welter, Alfred Deutsch |
| Music by | Stefan Schrupp |
Release date |
|
Running time | 99 minutes |
| Country | Austria |
| Languages | English, Austrian German |
Plot edit
Inge Sargent, an Austrian student and Sao Kya Seng, a young mining student from Burma fall in love. But it is only at the lavish wedding ceremony that Inge discovers her husband is the ruling prince of Hsipaw, a princely state in Burma. After a coup is staged by the Burmese military, Sao is imprisoned. Inge does everything she can to free him.
Cast edit
- Daweerit Chullasapya as Sao Kya Seng
- Maria Ehrich as Inge Sargent
- Sahajak Boonthanakit as General Ne Win
- Tanapol Chuksrida as Kawlin
- Regina Fritsch as Mutter
- Kaitlin Orem as Mayari
- Jirapat Phanngoen as Bukong
- Patrik Plenk as Reisender
Controversy edit
In June 2016, the film was hardly banned by the Burmese Motion Picture Classification Board from screening at the Human Rights Human Dignity International Festival in Yangon for purportedly damaging "ethnic unity within the state."[4][5][6] The following month, Thailand followed suit; the Thailand International Film Destination Festival canceled a viewing of Twilight Over Burma without explanation, in order to preserve bilateral relations between Thailand and Myanmar.[7][8]
References edit
- ^ Sargent, Inge (August 1994). "Twilight Over Burma". ISBN 0824816285.
- ^ Maung, Zaw Lin (30 May 2016). "'Twilight Over Burma' Tells Tragic Tale of Austrian Shan Princess". The Irrawaddy.
- ^ "Twilight over Burma". DOR FILM.
- ^ "After being pulled from Yangon screening, 'Twilight over Burma' banned at Thai film festival". The Myanmar Times. 2016-07-08. Retrieved 2021-01-07.
- ^ "Twilight Over Burma: Myanmar censors pull the film from festival". BBC News. 15 June 2016.
- ^ "How to watch the now-controversial 'Twilight over Burma' film | Coconuts Yangon". Coconuts. 20 June 2016.
- ^ "Twilight Over Burma removed from film festival in Thailand". The Nation. 2016-07-06. Retrieved 2021-01-07.
- ^ "After being pulled from Yangon screening, 'Twilight over Burma' banned at Thai film festival". The Myanmar Times. 8 July 2016.
