Roaring Down the Regime ...(New Project)

Synopsis

For 50 years the people of Burma have lived under a ruthless military regime, a regime which crushes all dissent and deliberately isolates its people from the influences of the outside world, particularly the ‘destructive elements’ of the West. Yet, despite all attempts, a new cultural force is sweeping the Golden Land. Hip Hop has exploded on the streets and is taking youth culture by storm. MCs, skaters, graffiti artists and break-dancers are  the vanguard of  a new youth movement inside Burma. It is a movement still in its infancy, but one desperate, and one day it seems, destined to become a force for change. What might be ‘ol’ school’ for the rest of the hip hop world is definitely ‘new school’ in Burma. The rise of Hip Hop culture in Burma appears to have given rise to a new wave of cultural and political revolutionary activity, albeit underground. Not surprising given that  Hip Hop is after all,  a movement that has its roots in the US black civil rights movement. But how much is the emergence of  Hip Hop merely a case of cultural mimicry?  Burma is a country where its youth have been fed propaganda and denied a voice right from the very time that they were born. Make no mistake, the Burmese kids are making it their own.  Hip hop may be a borrowed voice, but it is undeniably giving desperately needed ‘shout out’ to their cause.

\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\'Roaring Down The Regime\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\' introduces us to some of the more influential and charismatic Burmese Hip Hop luminaries both, those inside Burma and those in exile, such as the now dispersed  pioneers of Burmese political rap, MFG (Myanmar Future Generation). We will talk with some of the MFG founding members who now live in Australia. The film will also take us to the streets of Rangoon, to the underbelly of Hip Hop counterculture where we meet characters such as influential Hip Hop MC, producer and scholar Thxa Soe. Thxa Soe’s music is politically charged, albeit subtly, and particularly distinctive because it combines the ancient sounds of traditional Burmese music with the modern beats and technologies of electronic music. He dearly wants to stay in Burma to fight the fight, but the frustrations and perils that life as an artist living in Burma brings are forcing him to consider a new life in exile. Another character is J-Me. He is currently the biggest hip hop star in Burma, he is confident and brash. He refers to himself as a ‘lion’, as a ‘king, but as we shall see, even Hip Hop stars are not safe from the clutches of the regime, as was the case last year when two Burmese hip hop super stars (A.k.a: ‘Acid’ ) were arrested jailed for their perceived anti-government stance in relation to the 2007 monk-led protests.

With intimate interviews, fresh sounds and engaging characters, \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\'Roaring Down The Regime\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\' is a unique documentary project that offers an extremely rare insight into Burmese counterculture.  Is a film that not only explores where this fascinating next generation of Burmese youth want to take their newly adopted craft, but more importantly where they want to take their country. This revolution will definitely not be televised… until now that is.

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