Today we’d like to introduce you to Hein Htwe Maung
Hi Hein Htwe, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I am a queer filmmaker from a South East Asian country, called Myanmar/Burma.
I started my filmmaking career with a short documentary, called Missing Puzzle, which depicts a life of a local drag queen in Yangon, Myanmar. It got picked up by the biggest local film festival at the time, 2018 I believe. At one of its networking events, I met donors who were interested in funding my first narrative short film. One short film led to another, I directed 4 short narrative films, before I stepped foot in Los Angeles.
When the military staged a coup against the democratic party in 2021, my career took a
hiatus. But I participated in protects, worked as a translator for international press to touch base with queer civilians, civil soldiers, and hosted a podcast featuring queer individuals from people’s defense forces at the front line.
2023, I won a Fulbright scholarship to study filmmaking at New York Film Academy.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It was more or less a smooth road until the military coup happened. Everything I worked for went down the drain and I had to start my life, and my career anew in a new, unfamiliar place.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
Before my film career, I was a queer advocate. I specifically want to share queer experiences through queer stories. All my work up to this point, has always been about queer lives. What I am most proud of is my first narrative short film. I managed to secure a funding. First time director with no prior knowledge in directing a narrative at that time. It came out more or less ok and it was very well received locally, and made it to a few international queer film festivals.
We’d love to hear about any fond memories you have from when you were growing up?
I was one of the honored students in middle school. A group of friends form the honors class and I would sneak out to gossip about our lesbian teacher who got her heartbroken because her best friend, who’s also a teacher for another class at the school, was getting married to a man. That was before I realize I was gay myself, I was 13.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jojos_daddyhein/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/heinhtwemaung/
