Austrian film fest highlights Burma

by Salai Pi Pi
Monday, 07 December 2009 20:19

New Delhi (Mizzima) - ‘This Human World’ film festival in Vienna, capital of Austria, is screening films on Burma to highlight the situation of Burmese refugees and human rights conditions in the military-ruled country.

The second film festival of ‘This Human World’, which began on December 3 and is to be concluded on December 13, will screen a total of 130 films focussing on Burma and Iran, at Vienna’s auditorium.

The Vienna-based Austria Burma Centre (ABC) said they have negotiated with the organisers of the festival to screen nine films on Burma, as an awareness campaign for the people.

“I have told them they should not miss out on including Burma because this is a human rights film festival. There are several good documentary films to highlight human rights violation and the situation in Burma,” Margot Pires, Director of Austria Burma Center told Mizzima on Monday.

“We have seen it is very important to have Burma in this programme and to raise awareness on Burma in Austria,” Pires added.

On Sunday, three films on Burmese refugees titled ‘Don’t Fence Me In’, ‘Abandon but Not Forgotten’ and ‘Ausgeschafft’ (‘Deported’ in English) were screened. The Oscar nominated ‘Burma VJ’, which is about an undercover journalist covering the 2007 September protests, which was brutally crushed by the military rulers, will also be screened on Monday evening.

Following the screening on Sunday, a panel discussion on the human rights condition in Burma was held at the auditorium of This Human Rights, where panelists Bwa Bwa Phan of the European Karen Network, Aung Ko, actor from the film ‘Beyond Rangoon’, Margot Pires and Sabine Vogler from Amnesty International discussed the situation in Burma.

“After the screening, the people said we would like to help, we would like to support democracy in Burma and Austria Burma Centre,” Pires said, “I think it is very successful. We will continue and work together.”

Pires, however, called on the Austrian government to take a pro-active role for the release of Burmese Nobel Peace Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi and to strengthen European Union’s sanction against Burmese military regime.

Austria serves as a non-permanent member of the UN-Security Council for the years 2009/10.

“Though Austria is member of the UN Security Council, they don’t raise the issue of Burma. There were many statements but [Burma] was not highlighted,” Pires said.

She also called on the Austrian government to support ABC on funding and to help Burmese asylum seekers in Austria. According to her, currently, there are about 50 Burmese in Austria, of whom about 20 have been granted citizenship.


Edited by Mungpi