a million threads yangonfilmschool

A Million Threads

Synopsis

Every year on a full moon night in November, thirty women gather at Shwe Phone Pwint Pagoda in the Pazundaung district of Myanmar's former capital Yangon to take part in a competition known as Matho Thingan. Their task is to weave the finest robes for the temple's Buddha images. All robes must be finished by dawn otherwise they are considered 'stale'.

Cheered on by large crowds and an orchestra of pulsating drums and high-pitched oboes, the teams of dedicated female competitors work the handlooms frenziedly back and forth in a feat that celebrates Buddha's own foster mother, Gautami, who is said to have woven her son a robe in a single day.

Director's Biography

Yangon-born Thu Thu Shein was a video editor at Myanmar Forever June Co. before discovering her passion for documentary at the first Yangon Film School workshop where she was cinematographer on A Day with Aye Nan Lin (dir: Eh Mwee). “I wanted to show the weavers’ excitement, exhaustion and joy”, she says of her own directorial debut, A Million Threads, which she also edited during the 2006 YFS workshop.

Screenings

November, 2011
Festival International du Documentaire Étudiant
Saint-Ouen, France
October, 2011
International Festival Signes de Nuit
Paris, France
July, 2011
Traumzeit Festival
Duisburg, Germany
June, 2011
Open City London Documentary Festival
London, United Kingdom
May, 2011
Vientianale International Film Festival,
Vientiane, Laos
November, 2010
exground film festival
Wiesbaden, Germany
October, 2010
Doi Saket Film Festival
Chiang Mai, Thailand
September, 2010
Thai International Short Film Festival
Bangkok, Thailand
August, 2010
Douarnenez Film Festival
Douarnenez, France
October, 2008
Vision du Réel
Nyon, France

Director's Filmography

2011
Nights

director / cinematographer

5‘0‘‘

2011
The Lady, a sheet of records

director / cinematographer

13‘13‘‘

2010
5 Beats Before Death

Director

28‘0‘‘

2010
Flash

director / cinematographer

5‘3‘‘

2009

cinematographer

15‘21‘‘

2008
Saving Sankar

editor

15‘45‘‘

2008
Sun behind The Clouds

cinematographer

13‘13‘‘

2007

sound recordist

18‘18‘‘

2007

22‘22‘‘

2006

Director/Editor

13‘5‘‘

2006
The Uninvited Guest

sound recordist

13‘49‘‘

2005
Homesick

cinematographer

5‘0‘‘

2005
A day with Aye Nan Lin

cinematographer

12‘39‘‘

A Million Threads

director / cinematographer / editor

15‘20‘‘

cinematographer

0‘0‘‘

Pictures

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