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Welcome to the 2021 Burma Spring Benefit Film Festival which ran June 4-20.
Explore the program here and on the Speaker Forums page, and please consider a donation to aid the nonviolent democracy movement in Burma.
BSBFF June 4-20, 2021
Like We Don't Exist
After 70 years of conflict -- the longest ongoing civil war in the world -- the Karenni face an uncertain future as a refugee community along the Thai-Burmese border.
Watch now
Aung San Suu Kyi—Lady of No Fear
An intimate portrait of Aung San Suu Kyi before she became the democratically elected head of government in Burma.
Watch now
Black Zone
The Black Zone is a decade long journey following a covert and daring medical relief program as the workers struggle to provide aid amidst war atrocities in the jungles of Burma.
Watch now
Burma VJ
Thousands of citizens of Myanmar take to the streets to protest the nation's repressive regime in 2007. Burma VJ chronicles the work of citizen journalists who transmit footage to the outside world.
Watch now
Irrawaddy Mon Amour
In a Burmese village on the Irrawaddy river, a group of people fight against fear of repression to celebrate love in a forbidden gay wedding.
Watch now
The Goods
The Goods is a short film about a young orphaned womam who has to live with her aunt. She is sold off as a housemaid and, in turn, is sold off again and again.
Watch now
Quarter Number Zero
Survivors of Cyclone-Nargis-affected areas demonstrate the ways they are rebuilding their lives in the aftermath.
Watch now
Mrauk Oo Story
Young boys struggle to survive as garbage pickers amidst the 16th century pagodas of Mrauk Oo in Rakhine State.
Watch now
Sacrifice: The Story of Child Sex Workers from Burma
Each year thousands of young girls are recruited from rural Burmese villages to work in the sex industry in Thailand. Held for years in debt bondage in illegal Thai brothels, they suffer extreme abuse by pimps, clients, and the police. Compelling interviews and beautiful photography create a complex portrait of economic conditions in Burma, and the impact this has on families, rural villages and the young women themselves.
Watch now
The Special One
U Myint Lwin runs a fish business down at the Yangon city docks. It’s a tough job but he has one great joy in life: football.
Watch now
Spirit
Spirit follows the relationship between a spirit medium who speaks to the dead, and a young female traditional musician in rural Myanmar seeking to make peace with her past.
Watch now
My Buddha Is Punk
A young Burmese Buddhist pursues his dream of seeing the punk scene take off in Myanmar.
Watch now
My Life I Don't Want
A short animated film about a girl in Myanmar based on some true events, to promote awareness about children's and women's rights.
Watch now
The Vote
The Vote observes residents of the bustling city of Yangon as they navigate their first democratic election in 15 years.
Watch now
Voice of the Rohingya
The plight of the Rohingya during the genocide initiated by the Myanmar military, including life in the world's largest refugee camp.
Watch now
This Kind of Love
This Kind of Love follows human rights and LGBTQ activist, Aung Myo Min, as he returns home after 24 years in exile.
Watch now
Art for Change
Photojournalist Myint Zaw helps stop the Myitsone Dam construction with a series of art exhibitions in Yangon.
Watch now
Welcome to Free Kachin
A collective portrait of the independent spirit of the Kachin people and their dreams for full autonomy for all of Kachinland.
Watch now
Crossing Salween
Having survived the massacre of her family, a young Karen girl must make the long journey through the horrors of the Burmese jungle to the Salween river, beyond which lies the freedom of Thailand.
Watch now
Voices From Kaw Thoo Lei
The Karen people of Burma believe no one hears their pleas for help as their country remains ravaged by a war that has lasted more than six decades.
Watch now
A Peaceful Land
A Peaceful Land chronicles farmer resistance to a government agriculture campaign that results in widespread land confiscations and forced labor.
Watch now
A Thousand Mothers
An intimate look at the refuge and opportunity that a monastic life offers girls and women in Burma, even as the nation begins to change.
Watch now
Burma Spring 21
A panoramic impression of the civil disobedience movement in Burma filmed after the coup.
Watch now
Buffalo Boat
An intimate portrait of the family of a buffalo herder in Burma.
Watch now
Drowning A Thousand Islands
Drowning A Thousand Islands recounts the history and the devastating effects of the Tatmadaw's scorched earth policy in an area of Shan State over a decade ago.
Watch now
Burma Storybook
Through the lens of poetry, Burma Storybook tells the story of a country emerging from years of dictatorship. The film’s focus is Maung Aung Pwint, of the country’s most famous dissident poet, as he waits for his long-lost son to return home.
Watch now
Return to Sender
A young mail-boy accidentally reads a letter that has been returned to its sender multiple times, and embarks on a mission to make sure the letter is read as it was meant to.
Watch now
On the Inside of a Military Dictatorship
The entire world praised the military and Aung San Suu Kyi, when power was passed on to the democracy icon after 50 years of military dictatorship. One year later she defended an ethnic cleansing and had isolated herself from the public. This film tells you why.
Watch now
Burmese Days
A beautifully filmed hybrid doc/drama explores the impact and meaning of George Orwell's novels Burmese Days and 1984, in light of the recent history of the nation.
Watch now
Into the Current: Burma’s Political Prisoners
Into the Current: Burma’s Political Prisoners is about Bo Kyi, a former political prisoner who works to free his colleagues in Burma against the backdrop of the country’s non-violent political movement.
Watch now
Padauk: Myanmar Spring
Up-to-the-moment on-the-ground footage from the front lines; this is the BURMA VJ for the 2021 civil disobedience movement in response to the military coup. WORLD PREMIERE
Watch now
Across
Across chronicles the fate of the people living along the newly built Chinese oil-gas pipeline leading across a large part of northern Myanmar.
Watch now
Burma Soldier
Burma Soldier tells the unforgettable story of a former junta member and Burmese soldier who risks everything to become a pro-democracy activist.
Watch now
Ghost Fleet
Young men from Burma and other Southeast Asian nations are sold into virtual slavery on board Thailand's fishing fleets, straining to supply the world demand for fish. One woman makes it her life work to rescue them.
Watch now
Don't Fence Me In: Major Mary and the Karen Refugees from Burma
Don't Fence Me In is an eloquent and moving chronicle of freedom fighter Major Mary and her people's struggle for self determination.
Watch now
Golden Kingdom
Four novice Buddhist monks in Shan State are challenged by disruptions in their simple rural monastery life.
Watch now
I Am Rohingya: A Genocide in Four Acts
Fourteen young Rohingya refugees in Canada take to the stage to reenact their families' harrowing experiences during the on-going Burmese genocide of Rohingya Muslims.
Watch now
Mother, Daughter, Sister
Mother, Daughter, Sister exposes the Burmese military's practice of using rape as a weapon of war. The film brings to light Kachin and Rohingya women activists' efforts to enact justice for these crimes.
Watch now
Vein
Vein highlights the human tragedy behind the jade industry in Hpakant: the deaths of miners, the families deprived of fathers and a source of income, and the harm wrought on the environment in the absence of safeguards.
Watch now
Like We Don't Exist
After 70 years of conflict -- the longest ongoing civil war in the world -- the Karenni face an uncertain future as a refugee community along the Thai-Burmese border.
Watch now
Aung San Suu Kyi—Lady of No Fear
An intimate portrait of Aung San Suu Kyi before she became the democratically elected head of government in Burma.
Watch now
Black Zone
The Black Zone is a decade long journey following a covert and daring medical relief program as the workers struggle to provide aid amidst war atrocities in the jungles of Burma.
Watch now
Burma VJ
Thousands of citizens of Myanmar take to the streets to protest the nation's repressive regime in 2007. Burma VJ chronicles the work of citizen journalists who transmit footage to the outside world.
Watch now
Irrawaddy Mon Amour
In a Burmese village on the Irrawaddy river, a group of people fight against fear of repression to celebrate love in a forbidden gay wedding.
Watch now
The Goods
The Goods is a short film about a young orphaned womam who has to live with her aunt. She is sold off as a housemaid and, in turn, is sold off again and again.
Watch now
Quarter Number Zero
Survivors of Cyclone-Nargis-affected areas demonstrate the ways they are rebuilding their lives in the aftermath.
Watch now
Mrauk Oo Story
Young boys struggle to survive as garbage pickers amidst the 16th century pagodas of Mrauk Oo in Rakhine State.
Watch now
Sacrifice: The Story of Child Sex Workers from Burma
Each year thousands of young girls are recruited from rural Burmese villages to work in the sex industry in Thailand. Held for years in debt bondage in illegal Thai brothels, they suffer extreme abuse by pimps, clients, and the police. Compelling interviews and beautiful photography create a complex portrait of economic conditions in Burma, and the impact this has on families, rural villages and the young women themselves.
Watch now
The Special One
U Myint Lwin runs a fish business down at the Yangon city docks. It’s a tough job but he has one great joy in life: football.
Watch now
Spirit
Spirit follows the relationship between a spirit medium who speaks to the dead, and a young female traditional musician in rural Myanmar seeking to make peace with her past.
Watch now
My Buddha Is Punk
A young Burmese Buddhist pursues his dream of seeing the punk scene take off in Myanmar.
Watch now
My Life I Don't Want
A short animated film about a girl in Myanmar based on some true events, to promote awareness about children's and women's rights.
Watch now
The Vote
The Vote observes residents of the bustling city of Yangon as they navigate their first democratic election in 15 years.
Watch now
Voice of the Rohingya
The plight of the Rohingya during the genocide initiated by the Myanmar military, including life in the world's largest refugee camp.
Watch now
This Kind of Love
This Kind of Love follows human rights and LGBTQ activist, Aung Myo Min, as he returns home after 24 years in exile.
Watch now
Art for Change
Photojournalist Myint Zaw helps stop the Myitsone Dam construction with a series of art exhibitions in Yangon.
Watch now
Welcome to Free Kachin
A collective portrait of the independent spirit of the Kachin people and their dreams for full autonomy for all of Kachinland.
Watch now
Crossing Salween
Having survived the massacre of her family, a young Karen girl must make the long journey through the horrors of the Burmese jungle to the Salween river, beyond which lies the freedom of Thailand.
Watch now
Voices From Kaw Thoo Lei
The Karen people of Burma believe no one hears their pleas for help as their country remains ravaged by a war that has lasted more than six decades.
Watch now
A Peaceful Land
A Peaceful Land chronicles farmer resistance to a government agriculture campaign that results in widespread land confiscations and forced labor.
Watch now
A Thousand Mothers
An intimate look at the refuge and opportunity that a monastic life offers girls and women in Burma, even as the nation begins to change.
Watch now
Burma Spring 21
A panoramic impression of the civil disobedience movement in Burma filmed after the coup.
Watch now
Buffalo Boat
An intimate portrait of the family of a buffalo herder in Burma.
Watch now
Drowning A Thousand Islands
Drowning A Thousand Islands recounts the history and the devastating effects of the Tatmadaw's scorched earth policy in an area of Shan State over a decade ago.
Watch now
Burma Storybook
Through the lens of poetry, Burma Storybook tells the story of a country emerging from years of dictatorship. The film’s focus is Maung Aung Pwint, of the country’s most famous dissident poet, as he waits for his long-lost son to return home.
Watch now
Return to Sender
A young mail-boy accidentally reads a letter that has been returned to its sender multiple times, and embarks on a mission to make sure the letter is read as it was meant to.
Watch now
On the Inside of a Military Dictatorship
The entire world praised the military and Aung San Suu Kyi, when power was passed on to the democracy icon after 50 years of military dictatorship. One year later she defended an ethnic cleansing and had isolated herself from the public. This film tells you why.
Watch now
Burmese Days
A beautifully filmed hybrid doc/drama explores the impact and meaning of George Orwell's novels Burmese Days and 1984, in light of the recent history of the nation.
Watch now
Into the Current: Burma’s Political Prisoners
Into the Current: Burma’s Political Prisoners is about Bo Kyi, a former political prisoner who works to free his colleagues in Burma against the backdrop of the country’s non-violent political movement.
Watch now
Padauk: Myanmar Spring
Up-to-the-moment on-the-ground footage from the front lines; this is the BURMA VJ for the 2021 civil disobedience movement in response to the military coup. WORLD PREMIERE
Watch now
Across
Across chronicles the fate of the people living along the newly built Chinese oil-gas pipeline leading across a large part of northern Myanmar.
Watch now
Burma Soldier
Burma Soldier tells the unforgettable story of a former junta member and Burmese soldier who risks everything to become a pro-democracy activist.
Watch now
Ghost Fleet
Young men from Burma and other Southeast Asian nations are sold into virtual slavery on board Thailand's fishing fleets, straining to supply the world demand for fish. One woman makes it her life work to rescue them.
Watch now
Don't Fence Me In: Major Mary and the Karen Refugees from Burma
Don't Fence Me In is an eloquent and moving chronicle of freedom fighter Major Mary and her people's struggle for self determination.
Watch now
Golden Kingdom
Four novice Buddhist monks in Shan State are challenged by disruptions in their simple rural monastery life.
Watch now
I Am Rohingya: A Genocide in Four Acts
Fourteen young Rohingya refugees in Canada take to the stage to reenact their families' harrowing experiences during the on-going Burmese genocide of Rohingya Muslims.
Watch now
Mother, Daughter, Sister
Mother, Daughter, Sister exposes the Burmese military's practice of using rape as a weapon of war. The film brings to light Kachin and Rohingya women activists' efforts to enact justice for these crimes.
Watch now
Vein
Vein highlights the human tragedy behind the jade industry in Hpakant: the deaths of miners, the families deprived of fathers and a source of income, and the harm wrought on the environment in the absence of safeguards.
Watch now
Like We Don't Exist
After 70 years of conflict -- the longest ongoing civil war in the world -- the Karenni face an uncertain future as a refugee community along the Thai-Burmese border.
Watch now
Most Viewed
Burmese Days
Padauk: Myanmar Spring
Across
Golden Kingdom
A Thousand Mothers
Burma Spring 21
Drowning A Thousand Islands
Burma Storybook
Return to Sender
On the Inside of a Military Dictatorship
Burmese Days
Padauk: Myanmar Spring
Across
Golden Kingdom
A Thousand Mothers
Burma Spring 21
Drowning A Thousand Islands
Burma Storybook
Return to Sender
On the Inside of a Military Dictatorship
Burmese Days
Padauk: Myanmar Spring
Across
Golden Kingdom
Documentaries
I Am Rohingya: A Genocide in Four Acts
Mother, Daughter, Sister
Vein
Like We Don't Exist
Aung San Suu Kyi—Lady of No Fear
Black Zone
Burma VJ
Irrawaddy Mon Amour
Quarter Number Zero
Mrauk Oo Story
Sacrifice: The Story of Child Sex Workers from Burma
The Special One
Spirit
My Buddha Is Punk
The Vote
Voice of the Rohingya
This Kind of Love
Art for Change
Welcome to Free Kachin
Breaking the Silence
Voices From Kaw Thoo Lei
A Peaceful Land
A Thousand Mothers
Burma Spring 21
Buffalo Boat
Drowning A Thousand Islands
Burma Storybook
On the Inside of a Military Dictatorship
Burmese Days
Into the Current: Burma’s Political Prisoners
Padauk: Myanmar Spring
Across
Burma Soldier
Ghost Fleet
Don't Fence Me In: Major Mary and the Karen Refugees from Burma
I Am Rohingya: A Genocide in Four Acts
Mother, Daughter, Sister
Vein
Like We Don't Exist
Aung San Suu Kyi—Lady of No Fear
Black Zone
Burma VJ
Irrawaddy Mon Amour
Quarter Number Zero
Mrauk Oo Story
Sacrifice: The Story of Child Sex Workers from Burma
The Special One
Spirit
My Buddha Is Punk
The Vote
Voice of the Rohingya
This Kind of Love
Art for Change
Welcome to Free Kachin
Breaking the Silence
Voices From Kaw Thoo Lei
A Peaceful Land
A Thousand Mothers
Burma Spring 21
Buffalo Boat
Drowning A Thousand Islands
Burma Storybook
On the Inside of a Military Dictatorship
Burmese Days
Into the Current: Burma’s Political Prisoners
Padauk: Myanmar Spring
Across
Burma Soldier
Ghost Fleet
Don't Fence Me In: Major Mary and the Karen Refugees from Burma
I Am Rohingya: A Genocide in Four Acts
Mother, Daughter, Sister
Vein
Like We Don't Exist
Dramatic
Crossing Salween
Return to Sender
Burmese Days
Golden Kingdom
The Goods
Crossing Salween
Return to Sender
Burmese Days
Golden Kingdom
The Goods
Crossing Salween
Return to Sender
Burmese Days
Golden Kingdom
Shorts
Don't Fence Me In: Major Mary and the Karen Refugees from Burma
Mother, Daughter, Sister
Vein
Like We Don't Exist
Black Zone
Quarter Number Zero
Mrauk Oo Story
The Special One
Spirit
My Life I Don't Want
The Vote
This Kind of Love
Art for Change
Welcome to Free Kachin
Crossing Salween
Voices From Kaw Thoo Lei
A Peaceful Land
A Thousand Mothers
Burma Spring 21
Buffalo Boat
Drowning A Thousand Islands
Return to Sender
Don't Fence Me In: Major Mary and the Karen Refugees from Burma
Mother, Daughter, Sister
Vein
Like We Don't Exist
Black Zone
Quarter Number Zero
Mrauk Oo Story
The Special One
Spirit
My Life I Don't Want
The Vote
This Kind of Love
Art for Change
Welcome to Free Kachin
Crossing Salween
Voices From Kaw Thoo Lei
A Peaceful Land
A Thousand Mothers
Burma Spring 21
Buffalo Boat
Drowning A Thousand Islands
Return to Sender
Don't Fence Me In: Major Mary and the Karen Refugees from Burma
Mother, Daughter, Sister
Vein
Like We Don't Exist
Burma Director
Drowning A Thousand Islands
Return to Sender
Across
Vein
The Goods
Quarter Number Zero
Mrauk Oo Story
The Special One
Spirit
My Life I Don't Want
The Vote
A Peaceful Land
Burma Spring 21
Buffalo Boat
Drowning A Thousand Islands
Return to Sender
Across
Vein
The Goods
Quarter Number Zero
Mrauk Oo Story
The Special One
Spirit
My Life I Don't Want
The Vote
A Peaceful Land
Burma Spring 21
Buffalo Boat
Drowning A Thousand Islands
Return to Sender
Across
Vein
Ethnic Groups
I Am Rohingya: A Genocide in Four Acts
Mother, Daughter, Sister
Vein
Like We Don't Exist
Black Zone
Voice of the Rohingya
Art for Change
Welcome to Free Kachin
Breaking the Silence
Crossing Salween
Voices From Kaw Thoo Lei
Drowning A Thousand Islands
Across
Don't Fence Me In: Major Mary and the Karen Refugees from Burma
I Am Rohingya: A Genocide in Four Acts
Mother, Daughter, Sister
Vein
Like We Don't Exist
Black Zone
Voice of the Rohingya
Art for Change
Welcome to Free Kachin
Breaking the Silence
Crossing Salween
Voices From Kaw Thoo Lei
Drowning A Thousand Islands
Across
Don't Fence Me In: Major Mary and the Karen Refugees from Burma
I Am Rohingya: A Genocide in Four Acts
Mother, Daughter, Sister
Vein
Like We Don't Exist
Buddhism
Irrawaddy Mon Amour
My Buddha Is Punk
A Thousand Mothers
Golden Kingdom
Aung San Suu Kyi—Lady of No Fear
Burma VJ
Irrawaddy Mon Amour
My Buddha Is Punk
A Thousand Mothers
Golden Kingdom
Aung San Suu Kyi—Lady of No Fear
Burma VJ
Irrawaddy Mon Amour
My Buddha Is Punk
A Thousand Mothers
Golden Kingdom
Political Prisoners
Burma VJ
Burma Storybook
Into the Current: Burma’s Political Prisoners
Human rights
Burma Soldier
Ghost Fleet
I Am Rohingya: A Genocide in Four Acts
Mother, Daughter, Sister
Black Zone
Burma VJ
Irrawaddy Mon Amour
Quarter Number Zero
Sacrifice: The Story of Child Sex Workers from Burma
Voice of the Rohingya
This Kind of Love
Welcome to Free Kachin
Voices From Kaw Thoo Lei
A Peaceful Land
Drowning A Thousand Islands
Burma Storybook
Into the Current: Burma’s Political Prisoners
Padauk: Myanmar Spring
Burma Soldier
Ghost Fleet
I Am Rohingya: A Genocide in Four Acts
Mother, Daughter, Sister
Black Zone
Burma VJ
Irrawaddy Mon Amour
Quarter Number Zero
Sacrifice: The Story of Child Sex Workers from Burma
Voice of the Rohingya
This Kind of Love
Welcome to Free Kachin
Voices From Kaw Thoo Lei
A Peaceful Land
Drowning A Thousand Islands
Burma Storybook
Into the Current: Burma’s Political Prisoners
Padauk: Myanmar Spring
Burma Soldier
Ghost Fleet
I Am Rohingya: A Genocide in Four Acts
Mother, Daughter, Sister
LGBTQ
Irrawaddy Mon Amour
This Kind of Love
Return to Sender
Women's Issues
A Thousand Mothers
Ghost Fleet
Don't Fence Me In: Major Mary and the Karen Refugees from Burma
Mother, Daughter, Sister
Aung San Suu Kyi—Lady of No Fear
The Goods
Sacrifice: The Story of Child Sex Workers from Burma
My Life I Don't Want
Welcome to Free Kachin
A Thousand Mothers
Ghost Fleet
Don't Fence Me In: Major Mary and the Karen Refugees from Burma
Mother, Daughter, Sister
Aung San Suu Kyi—Lady of No Fear
The Goods
Sacrifice: The Story of Child Sex Workers from Burma
My Life I Don't Want
Welcome to Free Kachin
A Thousand Mothers
Ghost Fleet
Don't Fence Me In: Major Mary and the Karen Refugees from Burma
Mother, Daughter, Sister
Environmental
Drowning A Thousand Islands
Across
Ghost Fleet
Vein
Quarter Number Zero
Art for Change
A Peaceful Land
Drowning A Thousand Islands
Across
Ghost Fleet
Vein
Quarter Number Zero
Art for Change
A Peaceful Land
Drowning A Thousand Islands
Across
Ghost Fleet
Vein