FLJS Films is pleased to present a special screening of Golden Kingdom, the acclaimed first international feature film to be produced in Myanmar since its reopening. The film’s director Brian Perkins and SE Asia expert Dr Mandy Sadan from SOAS will discuss the film's themes and genesis after the screening.

Set and shot in a remote monastery in Shan State — a region in which separatists have fought a decades-long war against the Myanmar government — Golden Kingdom follows the story of four young monks, each endearingly and intelligently played by local non-professional actors. When their isolated life of meditation and play is interrupted by an urgent call to engage with the vastly more threatening environment of the country at large, the film depicts the physical and spiritual journey of one of the boys through the troubled country as civil strife breaks out.

Touching on themes of displacement and the quest for safe passage and refuge, and featuring exquisitely evocative sound design by Oscar nominee David C. Hughes (GONE GIRL, HER), Golden Kingdom subtly alludes to the wider geopolitical currents in contemporary Myanmar, while avoiding easy answers in its enigmatic evocation of the beauty, spirituality, and fortitude of the country and its people.

We invite attendees to donate to the Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF) Rohingya Refugee Crisis appeal to provide vital healthcare to Rohingya refugees fleeing violence in Myanmar.

Praise for Golden Kingdom

"Compelling and elegantly crafted throughout, and hugely evocative of an enclosed world with its own lore and beliefs."
Jonathan Romney, Screen International

"Transporting …. Shimmering ... Golden Kingdom is a more intimate appreciation of Buddhism than Martin Scorsese’s rapturous “Kundun" or Bernardo Bertolucci’s “Little Buddha"."
Guy Lodge, Variety