When 22-year-old Nyan Kyal Say is not working as a surgeon, he spends his time making award-winning animated films that capture the struggles of daily life in Myanmar.
The cartoonist’s first short film – “I Want to Go to School” – showcases the many cultural and institutional obstacles preventing millions of Myanmar children from receiving an education.
“I Want to Go to School” was awarded at the 2015 Human Rights Film Festival and was bought by the International Labour Organization. However, it did not appear at international film festivals because Nyan Kyal Say had published it online.
His new film, however, is making up for that initial misstep.
“My life I Don’t Want” follows a young girl’s desperately trying to escape the traps of poverty, poor education, abuse, unwanted pregnancy and human trafficking, which affect millions of women and children across Myanmar.
The 12-minute film took Nyan Kyal Say eight months to produce and has won more than 30 international awards, including the prestigious KLIK Amsterdam Animation Festival award for Best Animated Short from an Emerging Animation Nation 2016.
Nyan Kyal Say’s films are bleak and leave little room for hope for Myanmar’s newer generations. Children suffer, and the inertia of antiquated institutions never slows. The animator says he intends for these images to promote awareness of the struggles facing Myanmar women and children.
He believes that if people can understand the problems facing the average person in Myanmar, these problems may be overcome.
