Burma VJ – Reporting From a Closed Country

Images from the military dictatorship of Burma (Myanmar) are rarely seen outside the country. In 2007, thirty anonymous Burmese video reporters became Public Enemy No. 1 by providing the world’s press with secret recordings of human rights violations, thereby risking their own lives.

As a result of the images of these young reporters, the resistance against the military dictatorship made world news in September 2007. A group of thirty anonymous Burmese video reporters risked their lives making secret recordings of human rights violations in their country. In September 2007, thanks to the efforts of these brave young reporters, the world got a chance to witness how the peaceful protests of Buddhist monks against the military dictatorship were brutally repressed. The shocking video footage was smuggled to Norway and spread across the world through an organisation called The Democratic Voice of Burma. ‘Burma VJ’ tells the story of the country through these images. At the International Documentary Film Festival 2008, Burma VJ won both the Joris Ivens and Movies that Matter Human Rights Awards.