About
In the Magway region of Myanmar, a country home to one of the oldest petroleum industries in the world, live husband and wife Thein Shwe and Htwe Tin. Running an unregulated oil field, they produce a barrel every few days. They wish above all else to see their youngest son succeed, to break the cycle of poverty. A kettle boils. Mud slicked hands work sputtering machines. The ambient sound of a football match hums from a nearby television. “These days passed quickly”, Htwe says.
From Palestinian-British filmmaker Saeed Taji Farouky, A Thousand Fires is a portrait of a family in flux, and a story of intergenerational conflict and compromise. It is a film of transient moments; of hopes and aspirations; of faith in the forces of karma and luck; of a place, a community, and the rhythms of a day to day; of lingering memories and a turbulent past; and of life persisting, regardless.
Reviews
“a cinematic masterpiece, quiet and powerful at once”
– MIME - Moving Image Middle East
“Immerse yourself in the cinematic presence of A Thousand Fires, an ethnographic documentary about people collecting petroleum oil that captivates the senses with an exquisite blend of visual and auditory sensations. The screen pulsates with a dynamic interplay of smoke, steam, oil, and water, creating textures and hues that ignite an appreciation for oil collection in rural Myanmar…(recommended) for those interested in Myanmar, rural life, poverty, religious studies, the oil industry including resource politics, and phenomenologically-rich content in ethnographic film.”
– The Asia Pacific Journal of Anthropology
“Farouky captures a beautifully intimate story of family, religion, and community, showcasing the family’s hope, faith, and resilience as they grapple with everyday struggles and cyclical change.”
– Universal Cinema
“absorbing”
– Film Comment
“a low-key, quiet film but one of beguilingly vivid sensory impact”
– Screen Daily
“A Thousand Fires, dedicated to the filmmaker’s parents, has unending belief in human perseverance against the odds. And facing the future with optimistic realism is sometimes all humans can do.”
– One Room With A View
“social commentary or activism have to take a back seat as we experience this deeply human story”
– Cineuropa
Regions:
Credits
Producer
Estelle Robin You, Les Films du Balibari
Co-producer
Palmyre Badinier, Akka Films
Associate Producer
May Odeh
Assistant Director
Than Win Han
Joshua Min Htut
Cinematographer and Sound Recording
Saeed Taji Farouky
Sound Design
James Bulley
Sound Mix
Maxence Ciekawy
Editor
Catherine Rascon
Composer
Fatima Dunn