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32 Souls

Contemplating Myanmar’s Shan State

November, 2017
Film South Asia
WINNER OF NABIL BANK AWARD FOR BEST STUDENT FILM
Kathmandu, Nepal

Synopsis

An old woman from Mong Htet in northern Shan State in Myanmar looks back on a life marked by privation and loss. Her memories are interwoven with images that touch on this conflicted state’s past, present and future.

‘A quietly poetic and evocative work about the rhythms of daily life, mortality and the persistence of memory.’

Director's Statement

To me, film is like time travel. In 32 Souls, I wanted to recall past wars and imagine souls gazing on the present; I also wanted to journey into the future via the prayer at the end. 32 Souls is partly a portrait of my grandmother’s cousin and partly a poetic contemplation of a society in ruins as a result of war, environmental damage and the gradual erosion of belief systems.

Director's Biography

Sai Naw Kham grew up in Tangyan Township in Myanmar’s northern Shan State. Moving to Yangon in 2007, he first studied chemistry and worked for three years as an editor for Charr Music Production. His first brush with filmmaking came when he filmed his uncle’s donation to a Palaung village; the Palaung continue to fascinate him and he hopes to one day make a feature-length film with them. Since joining YFS in 2014 he has directed a documentary, The Crocodile Creek. In 2015 he photographed a short YFS drama, Book Lover.

Awards & Nominations

November, 2017
Film South Asia
WINNER OF NABIL BANK AWARD FOR BEST STUDENT FILM
Kathmandu, Nepal

Screenings

December, 2019
Karachi Film Festival
WOW - Women of the World
Karachi, Pakistan
July, 2017
FESTEF, Festival for Ethnographic Film
Kichevo, Serbia
June, 2017
Innsbruck International Film Festival
Innsbruck, Austria
April, 2017
Busan International Short Film Festival
Official Selection
Busan, South Korea
October, 2016
DOK Leipzig International Documentary Film Festival
Official Selection
Leipzig, Germany
September, 2016
Wathann Film Festival#6
SEA Competition
Yangon, Myanmar

Director's Filmography

2017

Cinematographer

14‘45‘‘

2015

17‘49‘‘

2015
32 Souls

Director & Editor

25‘30‘‘

Pictures

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