"I want to create something different." Pic: Aye Zaw Myo

INSPIRED by the success of his recent documentary series, famous actor Lwin Moe has decided to yet again turn his hand to this genre of filmmaking.

Lwin Moe produced a 10-part series, each 30 minutes in length, for television in 2007 entitled “Lwin Moe is travelling.”

Shot in the hilly Chin state, the show encompassed beautiful views, insightful regional knowledge, the socio-economic conditions of local people, glimpses of their culture and the traditions of Chin state.

While the first series will be broadcast again at the end of January, Lwin Moe is now making arrangements to produce another series. For the next project he has chosen to focus on the Tanintharyi Division in the southern region of Myanmar. The title this time will be “Lwin Moe is travelling to Myeik Archipelago”.

Lwin Moe said, “I will travel to start my program on January 20. In this program I will try to present all the interesting places and islands of Myeik archipelagos, the Salone ethnic people, pearl production, the nest of the swift birds and also the historically famous buildings and places in Tanintharyi Division. I hope it will take a month to make the whole program, in total 15 episodes with each one lasting 40 minutes. Once the filming is complete I aim to put the show to air within a month of that date.”

He is determined to make the program better than the previous one.
“This time I will take more crew and staff members along for the production. The first time I travelled with only one bus. This time I will take two buses and altogether 22 people will join me. For the Chin state trip I didn’t take equipment such as trolleys and cranes which enable the cameramen to get better shots. But this time I will take all the necessary equipment, including the necessary materials to make a mini mobile studio for shooting indoor scenes,” he said.

The program will follow Lwin Moe from the start of the border between Tanintharyi Division and Mon State. The group will travel by bus from Yangon to Dawei and then Myeik before continuing their journey by motor boat along the Tanintharyi coast. The trip will end at the southernmost town of Myanmar, Kawthoung.

Local companies were forthcoming with sponsorship assistance as, like Lwin Moe, they want to see a different side of Myanmar on television.

“There are many documentary programs about Myanmar made by locals or foreigners. Some programs made by foreigners pay more attention to the weaknesses of our country. When we meet the foreigners they have generally only seen such kinds of program, they look down on us,” said U Aung Maw Thein, Managing Director of the MDG group who will sponsor Lwin Moe’s production.

“There are many beautiful and interesting places and events here. Myanmar is a vast country and many documentary programs can be made about the hilly regions, the costal area and the middle dry zone, etc. Making good programs that express the good points of our country is our national duty. That’s why I welcome and appreciate the work of Lwin Moe. I believe he will make great programs about our country.”

— Lonely Planet

Some critics said his first program was boring as Lwin Moe not only narrated the program, he also took the main lead role on camera. But Lwin Moe begs to differ.

“Some critics said the program was boring because of me. I am involved both as a presenter and a narrator for the documentary. Most of my fans said they are interested in this program because of me. They watch this program because they are my fans,” the three times academy-award winning actor said.

“I don’t want my program to be too formal. I want to be creative and have freedom with presentation. I don’t care what other TV documentary programs are like. I want to create something different. I want to combine the documentary discipline with entertainment.”

“For example, there are many TV programs about Shwedagon pagoda. I can’t make a better program than those that exist. But I can make a beautiful story about the young flower-vending girl at the foot of the Shwedagon,” said the 37-year old actor.

Hoping to launch the new series before April, Lwin Moe invites you all to watch his series and see for yourself the beauty of Myanmar.