In the midst of a civil war following a military coup a group of young women in Myanmar organise a strike when the boss of their foreign owned garment factory hasn’t paid them in two months.
The political grows increasingly personal in The Maw Naing’s punchy, heartfelt drama… A stirring call to arms for the people of Myanmar.
MA – Cry of Silence 2024
A striking depiction of female resistance inspired by real events in Myanmar, MA – Cry of Silence focuses on a group of women working in a foreign owned garment factory. With a recent military coup and civil war raging, the absent factory owner hasn’t paid their wages in two months and rents and debts are mounting. Nyein Nyein (Kawyt Kay Khaing) attempts to rally her co-workers to strike only to be met with anger and violence from their superiors. Mi-Thet (Su Lay) is initially wary of joining the strike, but as she becomes more and more aware of her country’s history and their place in the world through a neighbour’s collection of illicit books, she summons the courage to play her part in the battle.
With most of the male character’s faces obscured, making them more of an abstract representation of animosity than actual characters, MA – Cry of Silence paints a brutal and eye-opening picture of patriarchal oppression that is a reality for many women in the world. The point is driven home with actual clandestine footage of human rights abuse by the Myanmar regime. — Jordan Salomen