Midwives

Myanmar 2022, 89 min, Rohingya, Rakhine and Burmese, Hebrew & English subtitles

Hla is Buddhist and Nyo Nyo is Muslim. Together, they run a small women’s health clinic in a village in western Myanmar, where the Rohingya, a Muslim minority that has been living in the Buddhist country for generations, are violently persecuted. The makeshift clinic is the only place where Muslim women in labor can get help when calls to burn their houses and deport them echo through the streets, and the government prohibits them from going to the hospital in the nearest city. The midwives’ work is hard and often requires courage in the face of explicit threats from villagers. The two women’s close-yet-complicated relationship is put to the test when Nyo Nyo decides to open her own clinic. The film follows the two over five years of momentous change in their personal lives and the state of their country.

Previous Festivals: Sundance, Big Sky Film Festival, CPH:DOX

ACRI - 50 years celebration Across the Universe Award Winners Beyond the Screen Competition Faith, Tradition and Heritage Gender International Films Last Chance to Watch tearjerkers Women Directors Official Website