Bristol With Myanmar Presents: The Way

The Bristol #WithMyanmar group presents a fundraising evening of film and discussion to mark the 3rd anniversary of the Military Coup in Myanmar on 1st February 2021.

Proceeds from the event will go to groups in Myanmar providing medical support and support for internally displaced people.
See Cube Cinema and Headfirst for more info and tickets – please pay a minimum of £5 to support this fundraiser. Thanks.

The event programme is: Doors at 7pm – a chance to buy Myanmar street food and raise more funds / 8pm – Film / 9.15pm – Q&A and discussion.

The Cube Cinema is just off Kings Square, Bristol BS2 8JD. Directions/map.

Check out the Bristol #WithMyanmar group on FB.

‘The Way’ (Dir: Lynn Lynn, 2023, 1hr 3mins, Cert 18 – see FB page)  is a short musical film shot on mobile phones directed by Lynn Lynn, an anti-military artist and activist. The film has gone on to win numerous awards at international film festivals. Lynn Lynn says:

This film is the beauty of artists from a small country that values democracy. All those who participated in this film are still on the run at the border of Thailand because of the arrests and killings by the Burmese dictators….No dictator can stop my art.

Lynn Lynn and fellow artist Chit Thu Wai are the subject of arrest warrants because of their opposition to the coup, and have been active in the revolution against the regime making films and fundraising.

The 1st of February 2024 was marked in Myanmar by a civil disobediance ‘Silent Strike’, that saw the streets empty and many shops and workplaces closed. At the same time the resistance against the Military Coup, and demands for freedom, continue across the country. Resistance comes in many forms, primarily as civil disobedience alongside an increasing armed struggle in the towns and rural areas – this is led by the Peoples’ Defence Forces (PDF), in concert with a variety of armed ethnic groups who have struggled for degrees of automony from the Myanmar central government/Military regime for decades. This combined resistance is slowly increasing it’s control of large swathes of Myanmar, and forcing the Military Junta into retreat from many areas. But this has been amidst great hardship and suffering for the people. Since liberation from British colonial rule in 1948, Myanmar (formerly Burma) has been ruled by the iron rod, jackboots and guns of the military for at least 50 of the 75 years of independence, despite numerous uprisings by the people. Never before has the resistance been so strong, longlived, and militant, but the cost to the people is huge – poverty is widespread as jobs and services collapse under the Military rule, with some 2 million internally displaced and/or fleeing across borders; more than 26000 arrested; and well over 6000 killed, including many executions of activist prisoners.

For news and analysis of three years of struggle, see (in English): Myanmar Now; The Irrawaddy; the Assistance Association for Political Prioners; Mohinga Matters on FB; and this Guardian series.

This is the third such anniversary event and fundraiser organised by Bristol #WithMyanmar – read about the previous two here: 2022 and 2023. The Bristol group is comprised of Bristolians with experience of living, working and campaigning in Myanmar, some for almost 40 years; and displaced people from Myanmar who have relocated to the UK in recent years. Their aim is to highlight, support and fundraise for the progessive movements in Myanmar fighting the Military Junta. Currently, none of the Bristol group can return to Myanmar due to the likelihood of imprisonment and death.