THE 2007 Myanmar Academy Awards produced both the expected and the unexpected. As predicted, acclaimed drama Koe Sae Sa Thar Laint Mae (Ninety Times More) swept the field on February 7, taking out five of the six awards on offer, including Best Film, Best Director and Best Actor.

The surprise of the night was that no awards were given for female acting roles and the total number of awards was well down on past years. Generally at least 11 awards are presented at the Myanmar Motion Picture Academy Award ceremony, which has been held annually since 1952.

There was no explanation from the organisers, leaving the rest of us to ponder whether the decision was taken because of the quality of female performances in 2007. If so, it was a harsh reflection on Khine Thin Kyi, Soe Myat Thuzar and Nandar Hlaing, who were expected to compete for the prized Best Actress award.

For those involved in Koe Sae Sa Thar Laint Mae, which portrays the simple life of a family in a village and their strong belief in tradition and custom, the night lived up to expectations, and more.

The drama was awarded the Best Film prize, while Maung Yin Aung received the Best Director award, Kyaw Ye Aung won Best Actor and Sein Mutta was honoured for Best Music.

But the highlight of the night for many was a win for sentimental favourite Moe Di in the Best Supporting Actor category. As actor Tun Tun Win prepared to announce the prize, an audible whisper broke out in the crowd. Would it be Moe Di? Was about to win his first Academy Award?

As Tun Tun Win called out “Moe Di”, the room erupted in applause. It was a fitting tribute to the 61-year-old comedian and actor, who has worked in the entertainment industry since he was 15.

“I’m just a comedian. But in this film I played the role of a father. I have to thank the producer and director of this film for giving me the chance to show that I can also act in a drama film. In real life, I’m a father of four sons and I was able to play this character well because of my children,” Moe Di said in his acceptance speech.

Before Moe Di’s success – the third award of the night – the ceremony began with Sein Mutta receiving the Best Music prize. It was his second Academy Award, having previously won in 2004 with Pan Dandaryi (The Legend of Flowers).

Maung Yin Aung was the next to be honoured, taking out Best Director, his first Academy Award. Then came Best Film, which, while not strictly a personal award, must have been immensely satisfying for Maung Yin Aung, who also wrote the screenplay for Koe Sae Sa Thar Laint Mae.

The Academy Award judges praised the film, which was produced by Myint Marlar Film Production, for its expression of parental love, the rituals of Myanmar tradition and the discrimination between rich and poor. The film’s name – Koe Sae Sa Thar Laint Mae (Ninety Times More) – refers to parental love being ninety times more than the love expressed by children in return. In the film, the father is played by Moe Di and the aggressive but honest son by Kyaw Ye Aung, who was rewarded with the final award of the night, for Best Actor.

The win ended Kyaw Ye Aung’s 11-year wait for a second Academy Award, having previously taken out the Best Actor prize in 1996 with Tharthamee Zanee Kyinyar (Children, Wife and Life Partner).

The audience was reminded there were other films in the field – nine, in fact – when Kyauk Phyu (Padaythar) was presented the award for Best Picture for the beautifully-shot Nga Dar Nga Thway Nga Ayeyarwady (My Sword, My Blood, My Ayeyarwady). It was Kyauk Phyu’s third Academy Award, after winning the same category in 2002 with Yaukkhama So Tar Ta Khar Tone Ka Tha Met Par Pae (A Father-in-law Was Once a Son-in-law) and in 2003 with Amae Noe Phoe (Pay respect to the mother’s milk).

The dominance of drama films at the 2007 awards is unlikely to be seen in 12 months time when the 2008 awards are presented, as the film industry has moved towards light comedies, with popular celebrities filling the lead roles.

But the Minister for Foreign Affairs, U Nyan Win, told The Myanmar Times before the opening of the ceremony that the satisfaction of the audience was the primary concern for those involved in the film industry.

“On behalf of the artists, I’m pleased to see such an impressive ceremony being held. But it also gives the audience the opportunity to meet with their favourite stars and they get the chance to not only see the artists’ performance in the films but, because of this event, they can feel and see them in their real lives too,” U Nyan Win said. “If the audiences are happy, we are happy too.”
The audience might be less than happy with the decision to present only six awards, however.

This number – the smallest in 14 years – was a sharp drop from last year, when eight male artists and two female artists were rewarded for their efforts in 2006.

The 2007 ceremony was the third held in the new capital Nay Pyi Taw.

The complete 2007 winner list:
1. Best Film	Koe Sae Sa Thar Laint Mae (Ninety Times More)
2. Best Actor	Kyaw Ye Aung, Koe Sae Sa Thar Laint Mae
3. Best Director	Maung Yin Aung, Koe Sae Sa Thar Laint Mae
4. Best Supporting Actor	Moe Di, Koe Sae Sa Thar Laint Mae
5. Best Music	Sein Mutta, Koe Sae Sa Thar Laint Mae
6. Best Picture	Kyauk Phyu (Padaythar), Nga Dar Nga Thway Nga Ayeyarwady (My Sword, My Blood, My Ayeyarwady)