Considering the current state of the world, social media is crowded with scenes reminding us of the unhuman and unruly atrocities that are caused by acts of war. The death and despair we see is often already enough of a shocking warning of what consequences come with conflict. Yet, Songs of Souls (Sai Naw Kham, 2022) depicts the impacts of war through what is a thorough celebration of culture. This captivating look into sadness and sorrow caused by civil war in the Shan State countryside is guided by the soulful sounds of folk singer Nan Mya Han, who performs throughout the documentary.
Through her songs, Nan Mya Han has mesmerized the Shan State for decades, a region that has been the stage for what is the world’s longest ongoing civil war. It is also through candid interviews we get an intimately chilling look into her own reality of being surrounded by fierce fighting and loss of life.
“Nothing is built in a day, but we lost everything in a day”
Sai Naw Kham further celebrates life in Songs of Souls (2022) through an exploration of the lore of the land, of how throughout time, humans and the surrounding nature have interacted to build a complex tapestry which we know as culture, even through times of war. We see the fruits of this bind through the exploration of local tradition in the documentary. We not only see this through art, both visual and performance, from dramas to dance troupes and tattoos, but also through an intricate look into centuries-old belief systems and spirituality, threading the line between life and what comes after, even when facing death.
Songs of Souls (2022) visual direction itself helps further this intricate look. Whilst footage of the chaos of conflict is shown at some points, the serene natural surroundings take center stage. Through its visual, Songs of Souls (2023) offers signage of how war distorts people’s reality, often trying to sever that strong bond between man and mother earth. This notion is captured through creative camera movements and the altering frame rates–adding the sudden contrasts of light and darkness, of life and death and the inbetween.
Experience the stories, the sounds and sights of war like never before in Songs of Souls (2022) as part of the International Feature-Length Competition of Film Festival Dokumenter 2023. (Aradi Ghalizha) (Vanis)
Film Details
Song of Souls (လိပ်ပြာလင်္ကာ)
Sai Naw Kham | 71 Min | 2023 | Myanmar | Color | 17+
Screening Schedule
12.04 | Gedung ex Bioskop Permata | 17.00
