"It breathes peace and wisdom; it brings one closer to the truth."

Terrence Malick, Director of The Tree of Life, The New World, Voyage of Time.

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"The filmmaker has a rare and remarkable sensitivity for the cultural and spiritual aesthetics of the country and the people. I wish it were shown on national television every hour in every country worldwide".

Alan Clements, Founder of World Dharma, Author of: The Voice of Hope: Conversations with Aung San Suu Kyi.

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The Irrawaddy's bewitching ebbs and flows, the towering ancient ghosts of Bagan, and the sunlit wooden monasteries Friedman managed to capture just before the coup, are a painful reminder of what we stand to lose if Burma doesn't recover its freedom.

Kenneth Wong, Burmese language Instructor at UC Berkeley

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Guardian of Paradise

Guardians of Paradise is an intimate glance into Burmese life and culture in the months preceding the 2021 military coup. A meditation on freedom and peace, in support to the people of Myanmar in their struggle for peace and a more equal society. The film was shot with the generous participation of the people of Bagan, a famous historical and religious site in Myanmar, between 2018 and 2020.

On February 1, 2021, the army overthrew the democratically elected government in a coup d'état that dramatically affected 54 million Burmese, plunging the entire country into fear, violence, and extreme isolation. With their own military killing their own people and a collapsing economy, the situation in Burma is a humanitarian disaster that reaches new lows every single day.

With an estimated death toll of at least 50,000 since the 2021 military coup, including at least 8,000 civilians, The Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project (ACLED) identifies Myanmar as the most violent among the 50 wars it tracks globally. Victims and prisoners of the military regime include journalists, artists, actors, fashion models, influencers, and political opponents.

Three years after the February 1, 2021, coup, military rule in Myanmar has created a growing humanitarian crisis with 2.6 million people displaced and more than 18 million in need.

In a moment where they need international attention the most, this work wishes to portray the uniqueness of Burmese culture, as well as to bear witness to their incredible strength, whose true power lies in compassion, gracefulness, true generosity, and human dignity.