*Includes online Q&A with director Sai Naw Kham*

SINGAPORE PREMIERE
Original Title: လိပ်ပြာလင်္ကာ
Year: 2023
Director: Sai Naw Kham
Runtime: 72 min
Country: Myanmar
Language: Shan with English subtitles
Rating: PG13

Awards

Taiwan International Documentary Film Festival 2024
Asian Vision Jury Special Mention

Festival Film Dokumenter 2024
Best International Feature Documentary

Synopsis

“Why are we human but my mother an ogre?”
– Nan Mya Han, folk singer (singing a verse from a Shan fairytale)

“They say smoking opium is like being surrounded by beautiful maidens. It’s cool to be high! Sometimes it’s so distressing to be human”
– Shan tattoo artist

Combining interviews of singers, fortune-tellers and tattooists with scenes of rituals and performances, Sai Naw Kham’s richly atmospheric feature debut is a tapestry of the spiritual and cultural life in Shan State, a region steeped in a rich cultural heritage that borders China, Laos and Thailand, during a time of political upheaval.

Focused on folk singer Nan Mya Han, who is renowned for a mesmerising voice that has echoed across the lush and verdant countryside. Captivating audiences for decades, she reflects on the deep sense of loss of her son due to an ongoing civil war through singing metaphorical verses. Song of Souls documents rituals around healing and divination that are intrinsic to Shan culture, opening a window into the complex cycles of decay and impermanence.

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