Padauk: Myanmar Spring takes the viewer to the streets of Myanmar during the heady days following the February 2021 military coup. Through Nant—a young, first-time protester—we meet three human rights activists whose lives have been turned upside down by the coup. As the protests continue, Nant comes to understand the truth of a brutal regime that has continued to wage war against its own people for decades. Against a foreboding backdrop, Nant’s political awakening regarding the plight of others in her ethnically diverse country gives hope for the future. Beautifully augmented by poetry and art, Padauk: Myanmar Spring shows the resilience and determination of the people of Myanmar, and the sacrifices they’ve made.
NOTE: Jeanne Hallacy will be present at the post-screening discussion. This film contains graphic violence. Viewer discretion advised.
ABOUT THE DIRECTOR
Jeanne has lived and worked in Southeast Asia for 25 years, producing and directing documentary films about human rights and social justice issues. She cofounded Kirana Productions to use films as educational and advocacy tools by civil society and educational institutions. Mother, Daughter, Sister, Sittwe, This Kind of Love and Into the Current were each released with an international speaking tour in the United States and Europe where the films were screened with engaged audience discussions. Jeanne is also the Director of InSIGHT Out! digital media project for youth in conflict-affected areas. She is the former Director of Programs at the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Thailand
ABOUT THE DIRECTOR
A long-time student of Burmese politics and history, Rares jumped into the fray in May 2017 when he visited Northern Rakhine state to learn more about the Rohingya. Since then, he has been to the refugee camps in Bangladesh twice, including as a producer on Kirana Productions’ Mother, Daughter, Sister. Rares has lived in Yangon since 2018 where he lead Kirana’s film project covering the protest movement of Feb 2021. A partner at Global Legal Law Firm, when he’s not filming Rares is either practicing law or surfing. Ever since working at the UN’s Human Rights Council in Geneva in 2006, Rares has been passionate about social justice activism and providing a voice for the voiceless.