HUMAN RIGHTS HUMAN DIGNITY INTERNATIONAL FLIM FESTIVAL (2016)

Juries for Aung San Suu Kyi Award (National)

U Myint Thein Pe

U Myint Thein Pe obtained his master of Arts at the State University of Cinematography, VGIK, in Moscow. In Myanmar he worked at Central Films Devision and Myanmar Motion Picture Enterprise, and at the Ministry of Information as Director (Production). He was the president of Myanmar Motion Picture Organisation from 2007 to 2011. He is also a part time professor at the National University of Arts and Culture and the University of Yangon.

Maung Tharmanya

Maung Tharmanya started writing in 1990 and has published a dozen books, mostly on philosophy and religion. He was sentenced to five years imprisonment on a charge of illegal publishing. In 2004 he left the country to study journalism at Phnom Pen University and Hong Kong University. In 2006 he worked for the Irrawaddy online magazine as the editor of the Burmese section. In 2007 he moved to DVB (Democratic Voice of Burma) and is now working as the multimedia editor.

Igor Blaževič

Igor Blaževič is the founder and longtime director of One World, Europe’s biggest human rights documentary film festival, and co-founder of the Human Rights Film Network. Igor is an international consultant as well as jury member for the Human Rights Human Dignity International Film Festival.

Juries for Aung San Suu Kyi Award (International)

Andrea Kuhn

Andrea Kuhn started her career as an academic and researcher in film studies. From 2000 to 2010 she was the director of the silent film festival Stumm Film MusikTage Erlangen and since 2007 she has been the full time director of the Nuremberg International Human Rights Film Festival. In 2008 she acted as the chair of the Human Rights Film Network, an association that currently consists of 42 human rights film festivals from around the world.

Dr. Tereza Porybná

Dr. Tereza Porybná worked among other as programme director of the One World Human Rights Film Festival in Prague (2003-2006), head of the One World Tour programme (2008-2009), during which she helped coordinate and establish over a dozen human rights film festivals around the world, and as head of social and educational programmes for People in Need in Addis Abeba, Ethiopia (2009-2011). Between 2014 and 2016 she was president of EUNIC London.

Sarafina DiFelice

Sarafina DiFelice is the Associate Director of Programming at Hot Docs, North America's largest documentary film festival, conference and market. She programs for many initiatives at Hot Docs, primarily focusing on the annual Festival. She has worked with many film funds and juries internationally and also curates for Sundance NOW, a digital distribution service for documentary films. 

Brenda Danker

Brenda Danker is an educator, researcher, film festival production consultant, and media producer in Malaysia. She teaches filmmaking and mentors a new generation of social documentary filmmakers through Freedom Film Festival Malaysia. Her areas of research include: activism (specifically, visuals and digital media used by activists, and activism in university students), human rights film festivals and their influence, and the impact of technology in classroom teaching.

Thaid Dhi

Thaid Dhi is an independent documentary filmmaker. He received a scholarship to attend Czech National Film Academy where he completed a masters in English Cinema and Digital Media. Him short film AWAKE won best short film at FAMU Fest in 2009. He co-founded the first Burmese film festival, the Wathann Film Festival, in 2011. In 2013 he co-founded the Third Floor Production base in Yangon.

Juries for Min Ko Naing Award

May Nyane

May Nyane is a former lecturer in the Burmese Department of Yangon University. She taught literature from 1986 to 2005. She has been a writer since 1987 and has published 12 novels and about 100 short stories. May Nyein was an International Broadcaster from 2009 to 2012 for Voice Of America. Now she works as a freelance language Instructor and a writer.

Ma Thida

Ma Thida is a Burmese medical doctor, writer, human rights activist and former prisoner of conscience. In Myanmar, Thida is best known as a leading intellectual whose books deal with the country's political situation. She has worked as an editor at a Burmese monthly youth magazine called Shwe Amyutay and a weekly newspaper called Pae Tin Tharn. She also worked at Muslim Free Hospital, which provides free services to the poor, for more than a decade.

Zaw Thet Htwe

Zaw Thet Htwe is a famous journalist working as an artistic director in Myanmar Media Group. He is a democratic activist who has spent many years in prison for his opposition activities. He is a leading member of Myanmar Journalist Union and Myanmar Press Council. Besides this, he is working as Media Officer for General Aung San Film Executive Board and news manager of Forever Group CFI Task Force and conducted live coverage of SEA Games.

Juries for March13 Award

Maung Maung Lay

Cartoonist Maung Maung Lay came into the cartoon and comic industry in 1968. He drew cartoons for various newspapers, journals, and magazines. He also worked on animation shorts and advertisements. He still works as a cartoonist to this day.

Pe Thit Ti

Pe Thit Ti started working in the cartoon industry in 2000, drawing for Beauty Magazine. He published his cartoons in The Voice, True News, Than Taw Sint journals and newspapers. He also created covers and illustrations for magazines such as Living Color, Shwe Amutay, Fashion, Beauty, and B2B.

Moe Htet Moe

Moe Htet Moe has been drawing cartoons and illustrations in magazines and journals since 1996. He has created educational cartoons for the Ministry of Education and NGOs like UNICEF and PSI, an NGO promoting HIV prevention and reproductive health.

Juries for Hantharwady U Win Tin Award

M. Noe

M. Noe graduated from California State University Long Beach with a degree in Film and Electronic Media. He is a part-time filmmaker, script writer, film analyst, and does occasional film critique.

Min Htin Ko Ko Gyi

Min Htin Ko Ko Gyi is the founder of Human Dignity Film Institute which organizes the annual Human Rights Human Dignity International Film Festival, of which he is the Festival Director. He is also a poet, screenwriter, and filmmaker.

Wunna Kyaw

Wunna Kyaw is the CEO and Executive Producer of Miracle Post Media Productions & Event Management. He is a director, with a film which won second place in the ASEAN New Media Art Competition in 2007. He has also been a lecturer since 2001, giving talks about digital video production and filmmaking.

Juries for Vaclav Havel Library Award

Nance Cunningham

Nance Cunningham works in the fields of health, humanitarian work, lexicography, publishing, and art. After studying public health in the USA, she moved to Yangon in 1999. In 2008, she and Aung Soe Min opened Pansodan Gallery, and in 2013, Pansodan Scene. They published their first dictionary in 2009.

Aleksandra Minkiewicz

Aleksandra Minkiewicz has, since 2012, been actively engaged in support of independent journalists working in different states of Myanmar, including young Burmese filmmakers of different beliefs and ethnicities. Currently works as a Social Cohesion Programme Manager for People in Need Myanmar, the largest non-profit organization from Central and Eastern Europe, founded in the Czech Republic, member of Alliance 2015.

Toe Zaw Latt

Toe Zaw Latt was the DVB Bureau Chief for over 10 years. He was a student in the 88 movement and was forced to live in exile for 23 years. He returned in 2012. He is currently working as a research associate at the Burma Fund and Vahu Development Insitute.

Juries for Peter Wintonick Award

Mark McDowell

Mark McDowell is Canada's first resident Ambassador in Yangon. He was an Asian Research Fellow at Harvard's Ash Institute for Democratic Governance and Innovation, and a Fulbright Scholar. During his diplomatic career Mark has had a continuing interest in film, organizing numerous Canadian documentary and feature film events. In Beijing, he worked with Peter Wintonick to help him popularize his vision of "Documocracy".

Kevin Mackenzie

Kevin Mackenzie has been Country Director of British Council Burma since 2012. His previous postings have been to Hong Kong, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Venezuela, Italy and Spain. He is interested in the role of the arts for social development, and the last few years have seen the British Council’s work grow in this area. He also has a longstanding interest in film, especially documentary film, and the power of visual story-telling to create social impact.

Yasmin Padamsee Forbes

Yasmin Padamsee Forbes has more than 25 years of experience managing projects in Asia and the US, including seven years in Myanmar. She was recently appointed as the Country Director of Yangon Film School. The award-winning non-profit organisation has gained a unique reputation for providing solid filmmaking skills to ethnically diverse, often disadvantaged, talented and passionate young men and women.

Juries for Gender Award

Sanda Thant

Sanda Thant is a Gender Specialist currently working with UNDP Myanmar. She has over 10 years in-country working experience for UNICEF, Population Services International (PSI), and CARE International. She worked as Programme Manager for Mekong Institute in Thailand for 5 years and authored Border Trade and Identity Formation: Women in Myanmar (Burma) – China Border Trade published in 2007.

Nang Phyu Phyu Lin

Nang Phyu Phyu Lin is an independent consultant and women's rights advocate. She worked for CARE International as Gender Advisor from 2005 to 2014. Now she is Chair of Alliance for Gender Inclusion in the Peace Process (AGIPP) and a steering committee member of Gender Equality Network (GEN). She is a resource person for NGO Gender Group and other women’s organizations who provide gender technical support across Myanmar.

Billy Kan Myat

Billy Kan Myat is the program manager at Thingaha Gender Organization. He has previously worked in the Youth Department of the Myanmar Council of Churches from 1995 to 2009. He has participated in workshops around South-east Asia promoting gender equality and peace building.

Zayar Lwin

Zayar Lwin is a third year student at Yangon Economic University and a leading founder of Confederation University Student Union. He took part in a democratic education reform movement and a student demonstration on education reform. He was arrested shortly after the anniversary ceremony of the student movement. Shortly after his release in April 2016, he took part in the formation of a Nationwide Student Union.

Juries for VOA Award

Ko Thar Nyut Oo

Daw Khin Sue Win

U Than Lwin Htun

U Than Lwin Htun has been Chief of VOA Myanmar Service since 2005. Lwin left Burma in late 1988 in the wake of the military crackdown on pro-democracy protests. He was part of the nationwide movement as a prominent student leader while studying at Rangoon Medical College. His journalism career started at BBC Burmese Service in London in 1991. He joined VOA in 2004 to lead the efforts to transform the Burmese Service into a full-fledged multimedia news broadcaster.