Midwives

Buddhist midwife Hla runs a tight ship ministering health care to the Rohingya, the Muslim ethnic minority that has lived in Myanmar for generations. Muslim midwife apprentice Nyo Nyo trains under her, assisting with translation and overseeing many patients from her community. Due to ingrained power dynamics and their respective cultural prejudices, the two women often clash. Hla wants economic stability for her clinic. Nyo Nyo’s own ambitions extend further afield. With unparalleled access to their lives over five years, director Snow Hnin Ei Hlaing captures the heart of a war-weary nation through the strength of its most vulnerable citizens in her documentary feature debut, the winner of the Sundance Film Festival’s Excellence in Verité Filmmaking World Cinema Documentary Special Jury Award.