BURIED A DOG, CALLED IT LOVE
2026, 33 minutes, China/Myanmar/Thailand, Color, 5.1 Sound, in Burmese with English subtitles
Synopsis:
In a quiet town, two identical clouds hang in the sky. The whole town is excited to welcome the ex-minister. That afternoon, old, weak, and sick ex-mayor Maung Maung mysteriously regains strength and accidentally kills a stray dog during the Welcoming Ceremony. Throughout the whole weird day, Maung Maung is forced to confront his buried guilt, illusions of power, and the quiet decay of the community.
Director's Statement
This film began from a childhood memory. I was in elementary school when I first witnessed a grand ceremonial event to welcome a visiting ex-minister. The pomp of the event—the order, the food, the whispered tension in the town hall—stayed with me. I realized only later that what I saw was a theatre of power. This film reimagines that event as a political folktale: a slow-burning story of friendship, hierarchy, betrayal, and performance, all played out in the liminal space of a town hall awaiting a visit. A story where everything is about to happen, yet nothing really happens.
About the Director:
Lin Htet Aung is a 1998 born filmmaker and time based media artist from Myanmar, currently living in Germany. In his earlier days, he wrote avant-garde poems and published underground poetry books. He started making short films in 2017. His short films have been selected at several international film festivals including International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR), Internationale Kurzfilmtage Oberhausen, Kurzfilm Festival Hamburg, Ruang Rantau Exhibition (United States), Singapore International Film Festival (SGIFF). In 2025, he won TIGER SHORT AWARD at IFFR. He is also the winner of "Silver Screen Award - Best Director" (2020), "Silver Screen Award - Best Screenplay" (2023) at the Singapore International Film Festival (SGIFF), "Principi Award" (2023) at Lago Film Fest, "Best Experimental Award" at South Taiwan Film Festival (2024), and "Jury Prize" (2023) at Bangkok Asean Film Festival (BAFF). He is a directing fellow of the CHANEL X BIFF Asian Film Academy 2023, a Prince Claus Seed Awardee 2023, an alumnus of Berlinale Talent 2025 and Locarno Filmmakers Academy 2024. He is now developing his debut feature project "Making A Sea" which got the "Asian Cinema Fund (ACF)" for Script Development 2024, Red Sea Award at Asian Project Market (APM) 2024, and won the Fellowship Prize at the Southeast Asian Film Lab at Singapore International Film Festival (SGIFF) 2023.
