In the war-torn Kachin State in Myanmar, waves of impoverished people flood into the jade mines, chasing dreams of sudden wealth and a chance to change their fate. Following his previous film Jade Miners, director Midi Z turns his camera toward his recently released elder brother, accompanying him back to the conflict-ridden mines. There, caught in a relentless cycle of digging and survival, they search for a single stone that might transform their lives. With fate and the abyss separated by only a thin line, does jade offer hope—or pull one deeper into darkness?
Filmed over three years, the film adopts a cool, detached gaze to enter one of Myanmar’s darkest corners, documenting the harsh reality of those who gamble their lives for wealth. At the same time, it traces the brother’s trajectory—from jade mining and drug addiction to estrangement from his family and eventual imprisonment—reflecting the vast, fragile distance between two nearly estranged siblings. The film was selected for the Forum section of the Berlin Film Festival.
 | Midi Z Film director, screenwriter, and producer. Born in Myanmar in 1982, he moved to Taiwan at the age of 16 to pursue his studies. His work spans both fiction and documentary filmmaking. He first gained international attention with his low-budget debut feature Return to Burma (2011), which was nominated for the Tiger Award at the International Film Festival Rotterdam. In 2014, Ice Poison was selected for the Panorama section at the Berlin Film Festival and was submitted as an entry for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. His later works, The Road to Mandalay (2016) and Nina Wu (2019), further established his international reputation. The former won the FEDEORA Award for Best Film at the Venice Film Festival, while the latter was selected for the Un Certain Regard section at the Cannes Film Festival. In addition to fiction films, Midi Z has consistently developed a strong body of documentary work, including Jade Miners (2015), City of Jade (2016), and The Clinic (2023), all of which have received significant attention. Deeply influenced by his Burmese background and family history, his films frequently explore the lives of Chinese-Burmese communities and migrant workers. Blending fiction and reality, he has cultivated a distinctive authorial voice that continues to gain recognition internationally. | |