The Road to Mandalay (Photo Credits- The Road to Mandalay 2016)
The Road to Mandalay (2016) (再见瓦城), a powerful and tragic love story that follows two illegal immigrants from Myanmar on a journey to Thailand seeking a better future, will premiere in Singapore as part of the 27th Singapore International Film Festival as one of the Festival’s Special Presentation Films on 1 December 2016 at the Marina Bay Sands.
The Road To Mandalay has recently won the Fedeora Award for Best Film at the 73rd Venice International Film Festival. It has also been announced as a nominee for six awards including the Best Feature Film at the 53rd Golden Horse Awards.
Photo Credit: The Road To Mandalay 2016
The film stars Taiwanese actor-singer and Best New Actor at the 48th Golden Horse Awards Kai Ko (柯震東) and Best Actress at the Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia in Tokyo Wu Ke-Xi (吴可熙).
The film examines the exploitative conditions and experience of millions of Burmese migrants who crossed their country’s border into Thailand looking for work and fleeing the civil war in recent years.
“This year we are proud to host Midi Z, one of the rising stars of Asian cinema. The Road to Mandalay, his latest award-winning film, is a poignant drama that provides an insight into the immigrant experience facing many Myanmar people today. With strong performances by leads Kai Ko and Wu Ke-xi, this co-production between Taiwan, Myanmar, France and Germany, and filmed entirely in Thailand, attests to the international and regional co-operation that is driving the new generation of Asian cinema,” said Yuni Hadi, Executive Director of SGIFF.
Midi Z (Photo credit: 27th SGIFF)
On the premiere of his film in Singapore, Midi Z shared, “I am very happy to premiere The Road to Mandalay at the Singapore International Film Festival. This movie was filmed in Thailand and tells the love story between two immigrants from Myanmar – a universal theme yet culturally specific experience that many Southeast Asians can relate to. Singapore is also a country settled by immigrants who have made a home working and living here, and I hope that this story will have a special resonance with local audiences. I look forward to meeting them when the film premieres at SGIFF.”
The 27th edition of the Singapore International Film Festival runs from 23 November to 4 December 2016 across various venues including Marina Bay Sands, National Museum of Singapore Gallery Theatre, Shaw Theatres Lido, National Gallery Singapore Auditorium, The Arts House Screening Room, Filmgarde Bugis+ and Objectifs Chapel Gallery. Ticket sales to SGIFF will start on 28 October 2016.
