Welcome to POV.
I'm Pete Schwaba, host of PBS Wisconsin's Director's Cut.
Women's health is an issue worldwide
that's been in the news frequently.
In tonight's feature film, Midwives,
we'll take you to the Asian country of Myanmar,
where you will meet two dedicated women
who risk their lives
to ensure that other women live healthier lives
and provide as safe an atmosphere as possible
when giving birth amid truly chaotic circumstances.
Hla, a Buddhist, runs a small medical clinic
where she is assisted by her midwife in training,
Nyo Nyo, a Muslim.
Nyo Nyo also works as a translator in the clinic
for Muslim mothers-to-be.
If a language barrier wasn't enough,
Nyo Nyo and her people
have been persecuted and denied basic human rights
in their community of Rohingya.
Myanmar is a country currently wrought with ethnic conflict.
The documentary follows these two women
and how they serve the women in their communities
under considerable stress.
In addition to women's health issues in her native land,
Director Snow Hnin Ei Hlaing also intrigued and saddened
by the ethnic strife in her native land.
When she was younger,
she remembers Buddhist and Muslim communities
coexisting peacefully.
It wasn't until the Rohingya conflict in 2012
that brought anger and intolerance
between the two groups.
The director found it fascinating that
despite all the hatred and distrust between their cultures,
these two women were able to put aside their differences
to help others.
Midwives won a Special Jury Prize
for Excellence in Vérité Filmmaking
at the Sundance Film Festival, and it was well earned.
The director and her team spent five turbulent years
navigating political strife in Myanmar.
There was a military coup just two years ago.
The fact that Hlu and Nyo Nyo
denounce the military over the course of the film
makes it unsafe for them to even view the film they star in.
The climate is so dangerous
that the filmmaking team behind Midwives
have a plan in place to help Hlu and Nyo Nyo flee the country
in the event parts of the film should leak out.
What you're about to see is incredible resilience
on the part of a young filmmaker
shooting her first feature-length documentary
and her two brave, resilient subjects.
Midwives starts now on PBS Wisconsin,
your home for independent film.