The new short film “Pushing Myanmar” showcases the rise of skateboarding in the former military dictatorship and reveals how a new skatepark has changed the lives of Yangon’s youth. The film has been lauded by skaters and non-skaters alike, and is now available to watch online.
The producers of the film seek to capture the way skating empowers people, giving them a creative space to express themselves. For Myanmar, they say, skate culture is important because it is one in which race, color, creed, and age are all irrelevant. Furthermore, in a city that has a distinct lack of green spaces, the introduction of a free, international-standard skatepark has had a huge impact, giving skaters a way to get active and be inspired.
“Pushing Myanmar” is the third installment in a series of films that document skateboarding in Myanmar. The award-winning “Altered Focus: Burma” was released in 2009, and “Youth of Yangon” came out in 2013.
While “Youth of Yangon” highlights the distinct lack of equipment and facilities available to Yangon skaters, “Pushing Myanmar” shows how that finally changed with the help of an organization called Make Life Skate Life (MLSL), along with the film’s producer Ali Drummond and director James Holman.
MSLS helps orchestrate “community-built skateparks around the world”, and after successful projects in Nepal and Ethiopia, the group decided to run a project in Myanmar.
MLSL co-founder Arne Hillerns said: “After watching ‘Altered Focus: Burma’ and ‘Youth of Yangon’, it became clear to us that Myanmar was more than suitable as location for an MLSL project. The Burmese skaters are passionate and have set high goals for themselves. Knowing that skateboarding in Myanmar overcame the rule of an oppressive military regime reinforced our belief that it was the right moment for a push forward.
“Eighteen months after its completion, we consider the project there as one of our most successful ones, not only because of the rapid and astonishing progress of the skaters as can be seen in ‘Pushing Myanmar’, but most importantly because of the appropriation by its users. They were involved from the beginning of construction and have transformed the space into one of community, shared values and progression.”
Holman said: “When we heard Myanmar was going to be the location of the next skatepark to be built by MLSL, Ali and myself couldn’t have been happier. After the previous two films, we talked about one day there being a skatepark in Yangon and how that would make a great third film.
“This film blends aspects of the previous two together, and we’re looking forward to what we hope will be a thoroughly enjoyed film, and for me as a director, a trilogy of films I’m really proud of.”
Drummond said: “The MLSL-built skatepark in Yangon is undoubtedly a dream come true for the local skateboarding community. Living in the city for the best part of the last seven years, I’ve witnessed first-hand the longing desire of skaters here to have access to an international-standard concrete skatepark they can officially call home, and that will allow their scene to properly flourish. And in just the mere 18 months since the park’s completion, the influence it has had over the rate of progression of long-standing skaters and newcomers alike is quite simply put, astounding.”
The producers hope that “Pushing Myanmar” will follow in the footsteps of both “Altered Focus: Burma” and “Youth of Yangon” and be featured in film festivals around the world.
Check out the full film below:
Pushing Myanmar from James Holman Film on Vimeo.
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