A Simple Love Story
A documentary film following a not so simple yet simple love story between a tomboy and a transvestite man in Myanmar.
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Hnin Papa SoeDirector
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Hnin Papa SoeProducer
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Myat NoeKey Cast
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Project Type:Documentary
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Runtime:21 minutes
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Completion Date:July 31, 2017
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Country of Origin:Myanmar
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Country of Filming:Myanmar
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Language:Other
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Shooting Format:Digital HD
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Aspect Ratio:16:9
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Film Color:Color
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First-time Filmmaker:Yes
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Student Project:No
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Wathann Film FestivalYangon
Myanmar
September 12, 2017
World Premiere
Best Picture Award -
Queer Asia Film FestivalLondon
United Kingdom
July 9, 2019
European Premiere -
Kashish International Queer Film FestivalMumbai
India
June 8, 2019
South Asia Premiere -
TVL Fest Queer Film FestivalTel Aviv
Israel
June 18, 2019
Middle East Premiere -
SEA X SEA Shorts Film FestivalSeattle
United States
January 9, 2020
North American Premiere -
Visual Documentary ProjectKyoto
Japan
December 15, 2020
Japan Premiere
Hnin Pa Pa Soe was about 12 when she realized she was more interested in girls than boys. But it would be more than 10 years before she would come out to anyone.
Social norms surrounding female behavior were so strong that, even as a child, she sensed that telling anyone about her feelings could have negative consequences.
“I kept it to myself to avoid mockery,” she said, referring to the most common reaction in Myanmar toward lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people, whose image tends to be shaped by the stereotyped characters in comedy shows and movies.
These days the 26-year-old uses documentary film as a tool to tell the stories of people who have shared her struggle. Her films counter the mischaracterization of LGBT people in mainstream entertainment in Myanmar.
“A Simple Love Story” won the Best Documentary Film prize at the Wathann Film Festival, which showcases local independent film, in September. Despite the award, however, the film was not screened at the festival because Hnin Pa Pa Soe refused to bow to the Censorship Board’s demand that the ending be changed.
At the center of the film is a love story between a transgender woman and a transgender man that challenges norms surrounding gender identity and love. The censor was unhappy with the final line of the film: “Does love recognize ‘man’, ‘woman’, ‘tomboy’ or ‘shemale’?”
The censor advised that the closing line be re-edited for screening at the festival, but Hnin Pa Pa Soe decided that if it were not her version, she would rather not show it.
“The Censorship Board’s demand really upset me,” she said. “The line [the board] wanted me to modify does not involve vulgar language of the kind they routinely allow in comedies,” she said.
Being LGBT herself, she said, she would never insult her own community and was willing to accept full responsibility for her portrayal of LGBT people.
“My stance was firm,” she said. “I won’t show it if [the original version] is not allowed. I won’t modify it.”