Educational Media Reviews Online

This film tells the story of the power of democracy, freedom of the mass media, and the struggle for freedom during the dictatorship of the Thein Sein government in Myanmar, starting with the 1988 uprising when members and families of the Democratic Voice of Burma (DVB) had to flee the country. In 1992 the DVB set up a clandestine radio station in Oslo, Norway, which broadcast video clips smuggled out of Myanmar documenting the atrocities and military activities of the Myanmar dictatorship. The story documents the return to Myanmar of DVB's editor-in-chief, Aye Chan Naing, in order to move DVB activities and free media back into Myanmar. The tension of meeting government officials, the risks that Naing and others take to return free media to the country, and the ultimate return of DVB as well as numerous other media outlets to Myanmar in order to boost the government's credibility with the world is quite a tremendous achievement. This film would be appropriate for college classes interested in modern politics, free media, dictatorships, and the tension between journalism and political governments. Classes related to civil rights, journalism, activism, and news writing would find this a rewarding film to watch as well.