Covertly shot over five years as a civil war escalates in western Myanmar, this delicately refined doco follows the lives of a hard-bitten Buddhist midwife and her ambitious young Rohingya Muslim apprentice.
Filled with love, empathy, and hope, Midwives offers a rare insight into the complex reality of Myanmar and its people.
Screened as part of NZIFF 2022
Midwives 2022
“Buddhist midwife Hla runs a tight ship ministering health care to the Rohingya, the Muslim ethnic minority that has lived in Myanmar for generations. Muslim midwife apprentice Nyo Nyo trains under her, assisting with translation and overseeing many patients from her community. Due to ingrained power dynamics and their respective cultural prejudices, the two women often clash. Hla wants economic stability for her clinic. Nyo Nyo’s own ambitions extend further afield.
With unparalleled access to their lives over five years, director Snow Hnin Ei Hlaing captures the heart of a war-weary nation through the strength of its most vulnerable citizens in her documentary feature debut, the winner of the Sundance Film Festival’s Excellence in Verité Filmmaking World Cinema Documentary Special Jury Award.” — San Francisco International Film Festival 2022
“With grace and humanity Midwives puts a nuanced human face on a complicated conflict long flattened by the Western press… A tale of clashing ambitions, tough love tinged with casual racism, and the highs and lows of motherhood, all set against the backdrop of societal expectations, competing armed forces, and ultimately a military coup.” — Lauren Wissot, Filmmaker Magazine