A Film about Aung San Suu Kyi

It was an evening filled with inspiration. After a private screening of the film ‘The Lady,” teary-eyed New Yorkers were given a glimpse into the making of the film on Sunday in New York City.

French Director Luc Besson shared why he decided to reveal the untold love story behind Burmese democracy leader, Aung San Suu Kyi.

[Luc Besson, Film Director]
“I think it was very interesting to understand how a 50 kilos woman can fight against 355 military people for 25 years. The only way to understand is to go deep inside her and find what’s her weapon, because she loves her country.“

And, Besson shared how the film crew got some key footage in Burma.

[Luc Besson, Film Director]
“Before they knew about the film we went with an HD camera pretending to be a tourist, wore a nice shirt with flowers and was like over-act, like oh my god it’s so beautiful…we came back with 17 hours of dailies. The military guy next to me was three feet away. Lots of shots were in the film.”

Captivating shots of real-life Burma are sprinkled throughout the film. About 200 Burmese natives who play in the film, helped keep the film top secret in the country still under harsh military rule.

Despite Aung San Suu Kyi successfully leading the country to democracy more than 15 years ago, with the military refusing to acknowledge democracy, she continues to fight even today.

Actress Michelle Yeoh told the audience about the inspiration behind playing such a powerful, living legend.

[Michelle Yaoh, Actress]
“I hope this will inspire you to support the cause. Because we can achieve democracy in a non-violent way. It will be a great step for humanity, for all of us.”

As for Besson, the director most known for box office hits like Taken, and Transformer 2, he has hopes his film can still be seen in countries where it is banned, like Burma and China.

The Lady is expected to be released in the US in February.

Elle Bakish, NTD News, New York

Foto: NTD