POV Buys Myanmar Documentary ‘Midwives’ Out of Sundance (EXCLUSIVE)

variety.com:

Manori Ravindran International EditorPBS’s long-running documentary showcase “POV” has picked up Sundance documentary contender “Midwives.”Directed by Snow Hnin El Hlaing and filmed over five years, the film — which premiered on Monday as part of the World Documentary Competition at the virtual Sundance Film Festival — is set in western Myanmar and tells the story of a makeshift medical clinic run by two women, Hla and Nyo Nyo, in a region torn apart by violent ethnic divisions.Hla, the owner of the clinic, is a Buddhist in the western region of the country, where Muslim minority community the Rohingya are persecuted and denied basic rights.

Nyo Nyo is a Muslim and an apprentice ze who acts as an assistant and translator at the clinic. Her family has lived in the area for generations, yet they’re still considered intruders.

Encouraged and challenged by Hla, who risks her own safety daily by helping Muslim patients, Nyo Nyo is determined to become a steady health care provider for her community.

Hnin Ei Hlaing’s camera follows the pair over five years and witnesses their struggle amid an increasingly dangerous environment.Myanmar has been in the clutches of a military junta for close to a year.