AP-Myanmar's Cinemas Seek Salvation

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Friday February 19, 1:51 am Eastern Time
Myanmar's Cinemas Seek Salvation
By AYE AYE WIN
Associated Press Writer
YANGON, Myanmar (AP) -- A night at the movies in Myanmar isn't exactly
escapism.

Rats and roaches compete for bits of food under the wooden seats, scuttling
over the sandaled feet of moviegoers too intent on making out blurry images
on the screen to pay them much mind.

The smell of urine from the lavatories wafts into the theater, but none of
overhead fans that could clear the hot, sticky air work -- or if they do,
they're shut off to save money.

Viewers crunching potato chips and sunflower seeds, who would be merely
annoying in a better cinema, make it impossible to understand the dialogue
playing over the antique sound system.

The films? A typical one, a 7-year-old romance titled ``Love in a New
Style,'' with local stars Kyaw Thu and Soe Myat Thuzar, had a happy ending
that almost never arrived when the much-screened copy jammed three times in
the 40-year-old projector.

Cinemas in Myanmar, also known as Burma, were taken over by the military
government in 1968 and run under then-fashionable socialist policies by
municipal authorities.

Nowadays, the theaters that aren't in ruins are gross dumps. But a handful
have been transferred into private hands and have renovated, giving crowds a
good show in clean, comfortable surroundings.

``No matter what, there's nothing like watching a good movie at a theater on
a big screen,'' said film buff Khin Marlar, 25, emerging from a rundown
theater on the capital's outskirts. ``But it will be good if more cinema
halls are transferred to entrepreneurs.''

That's happening as the present military government, which has abandoned
socialism and gradually opened the economy over the past decade, tries to
get out of the movie business.

Authorities recently announced that 57 cinemas, mostly on the outskirts of
Yangon or in the provinces, would be opened to bidding by private
entrepreneurs, with opening bids sought between $6,000 and $28,000.

Three decades ago, Myanmar's 400 movie theaters were popular public places
to seek diversion. The better ones in Yangon were cooled by
air-conditioning -- a rarity in much of Southeast Asia at the time -- and

well-maintained with fashionable sofa settees.

Now, besides the ravages of nationalization, surviving cinemas suffer from
problems known to theaters everywhere -- competition from television, and
the popularity of videos.

Myanmar filmmakers used to produce around 80 movies a year. Now, they turn
out about a dozen. One problem is the shortage of foreign currency needed to
purchase expensive imported film stock.

The shortage of foreign exchange also makes it impossible for the government
to import foreign movies from the United States, Hong Kong and even India.
Most cinemas still in business are running at a loss, almost empty.

On the other hand, cinemas leased to private firms are thriving.

``Despite the popularity of videos, movies remain the best mode of
entertainment,'' declared Zaw Min, the head of Mingalar Co., currently
operating three cinemas in Yangon and two in Mandalay.

Before entering the business, Zaw Min visited cinemas in neighboring
countries to get a grasp of the modern entertainment business.

``The condition of the state-owned cinema halls was miserable,'' said Zaw
Min, sipping Chinese tea. ``Hair-stuffed seats were irreparably damaged,
projectors were too old, paint was peeling off and the ceilings were riddled
with termite holes.''

It took up to six months to renovate the old cinemas. He imported new
projectors from Hong Kong and Singapore, installed Dolby sound and modern
lighting, and set up a generator to help the show go on during frequent
municipal power cuts.

Now, he's got queues of customers stretching into the streets, though the
ticket prices -- equivalent to about 25 cents to 50 cents -- are much higher
than the 7 cents to 15 cents at the old cinemas.

Instead of low-budget local fare, they can see ``Titanic'' or James Bond
films or the latest Jackie Chan offering.

``Local movies with popular actors and actresses are still a big market,''
Zaw Min said. ``People of different age groups watch Myanmar films, while
audiences of Western films are mostly from the educated classes.''

But Zaw Min is not showing much interest in the new privatization, which
focuses mostly on Yangon's outskirts.

Outside the capital, Zaw Min says, his prices are too high and cinemas just
can't compete with video parlors, where customers pay as little as 1.5 cents
for a spot on a bench to watch a video, often in someone's home.

Aung Min, a manual laborer who could expect to bring home 55 cents on a good
day, says there's no contest.

``I'd never go to a cinema,'' Aung Min said. ``There's a video parlor right
near my home, and it's a lot better value.''