Above and Below the Ground

Above and Below the Ground depicts the Indigenous women activists and punk rock pastors leading Myanmar’s first country-wide environmental movement. When the Myanmar army and a Chinese corporate giant force Indigenous Kachin people off their ancestral land to build the massive Myitsone Dam, grandmother Lu Ra stands her ground. We see her struggle to save the sacred confluence and build a movement, mentoring young female law student Hkawn Mai. A Kachin punk rock band made of pastors, BLAST, also takes action, transforming their love songs into protest anthems. Our film follows these individuals through their journey of activism, from their underground beginnings during Myanmar’s military junta rule, to supposed “democratic” reforms and a sudden military coup. During such periods of fledgling democracy and dictatorship–in Myanmar and globally–our film asks how ordinary people can use the power of music, community organizing and women’s leadership to challenge authoritarianism.

The in-person portion of GETSEA’s Simulcast Film Screening of Above and Below the Ground will be held at the University of Hawaii-Manoa, where Director Emily Hong and Producer Maggie Lemere will hold a discussion following the screening. Fourteen other universities will screen the film simultaneously and join the discussion via Zoom. 

A production of Rhiza Collective

In Association with Ethnocine Collective

Director & Director of Photography: Emily Hong

Produced By: Maggie Lemere, Ja Nang Tsen, Emily Hong

Sponsor(s): Center for Southeast Asian Studies, Asian American Studies Department

Location: 10383 Bunche Hall UCLA Campus