Perspectives from Myanmar, Myanmar Cinema Classics—First Class by Tha Du
This programme is conceived by 3-ACT, a non-profit film community organisation in Myanmar that initiates projects to support new forms of storytelling. Examining past and present social commentary in Burmese cinema, this film selection consists of early classics by established directors—First Class by Tha Du and The Daughter of Japan by Nyi Pu—and an anthology of experimental short films by contemporary filmmakers like Moe Myat May Zarchi, Kaung Myat Thu Kyaw and Lin Htet Aung.
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3-ACT was founded in 2018 by local filmmakers in Yangon. Although well-known in Myanmar, it is only now being discovered by cinephiles elsewhere, and has been featured in local and global media including The Myanmar Times, NHK, Nikkei Asian Review and famous French cinema magazine Cahier Du Cinema. 3-ACT has three main activities: publishing, programming and education. 3-ACT publishes a bilingual cinema magazine which is the only educational film publication in Myanmar which showcases new research. They also organize and curate film programmes, such as the MEMORY! International Film Festival, the Japanese Film Festival, Myanmar, and recently, the Ecological Futurism exhibition at Ambika P3, London, UK. 3-ACT’s education initiatives include teaching Burmese cinema history at Yangon Film School, running workshops for experimental filmmakers, and organising panel discussions and talks at film festivals.
For more information on 3-ACT magazine, see: https://www.3-actfilm.com/3act-cinema-magazine
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MYANMAR CINEMA CLASSICS
Myanmar has a long history of filmmaking, but too many early titles have been lost. New research by 3-ACT, as well as other organisations such as Save Myanmar Film and other archives across Asia, continue to uncover new and exciting cinematic discoveries. In this programme, two important Myanmar classic films—both never before screened in Singapore—reveal the rich and varied nature of Myanmar’s cinema history, which continues to inspire filmmakers and cinephiles today.
FIRST CLASS
By Tha Du
Myanmar | In Burmese with English subtitles | 1966 | 119 min | PG
Singapore Premiere
In this humorous social commentary from the early years of one-party rule in Myanmar, a poor couple receives free first-class tickets to a film from a rich couple. In order to present themselves as “first-class”, they end up spending more than the cost of a normal cinema ticket. The film is a satirical comedy about hypocrisy and arrogance.
This film was digitised in 2021 and newly subtitled in English with support from the Gallery in 2022.
There will be a post-screening dialogue which will discuss the significance of these films, as well as some behind-the-scenes insight into their recent rediscovery and restoration. The pre-recorded conversation will feature Aung Phyoe from 3-ACT, Maung Okkar from Save Myanmar Film, and Gallery curator Roger Nelson.
Tha Du (b. 1918, Myanmar; d. 1991, Myanmar) was an author, actor and director who also was a lieutenant marching in the 1300 Yaynanmyay Revolution. He has written about 20 novels such as Chit Sannamu, Tet I Ka Myat Ko Ko, and Ah Tar. Tet I Ka Myat Ko Ko won the Literacy Award in 1954 and was chosen to be a matriculation textbook. In 1959, Tha Du established a film production company and started making films. That same year, he won the Best Burmese Director Academy Award with his first feature film, Ka Gyi Yay Ka. In 1960, he won his second academy award with Ah Ngo Lwal Thee.
As part of this programme, there will be a free curator tour of the UOB Southeast Asia Gallery on Sunday 3 July, 11am. Participants will be brought on a tour of related artworks by celebrated Burmese artists like U Ba Nyan and San Minn. The tour will focus on modern art in Myanmar and the society to which it relates. Please click ‘BOOK TOUR’ to register.
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