Charcoal Boy

Synopsis

Every day, fourteen-year-old Pho Htet Aung gazes longingly at the girl he wants to marry as she passes the charcoal shop where he works: she’s on her way to school and he’s busy sorting bags of coal and selling them to local families. After a long day he scrubs the black grime off his body and strolls past her house, hoping to catch a glimpse of the girl of his dreams.

Director's Biography

Maung Okkar's film career began at the age of 14 when he starred in Datkhe, a feature film directed by his father – the celebrated filmmaker U Wunna. Okkar's first documentary Charcoal Boy screened to acclaim at a number of international film festivals. His second work as a director was The Game, a gritty documentary about the cut and thrust of Myanmar kickboxing, which was shown during the Art of Freedom Film Festival in Yangon in 2011. Let's Get on the Bus was his first commissioned work for an NGO. He is also the co-founder of Save Myanmar Film, an organisation dedicated to preserving Myanmar’s film heritage.

Awards & Nominations

November, 2010
Munich International Festival of Film Schools
Nomination Best International Student Film
Munich, Germany
March, 2011
Regensburger Kurzfilmwoche
Nomination for Best International Documentary
Regensburg, Germany
June, 2011
17th Palm Springs International ShortFest
Nomination for Best Student Short Film
Palm Springs, CA., USA

Screenings

November, 2010
exground Film Festival
Wiesbaden, Germany
May, 2011
LA Asian Pacific Film Festival
Los Angeles, USA
May, 2011
Sehsüchte International Student Film Festival
Potsdam, Germany
June, 2011
Mo and Friese Children’s Short Film Festival
Hamburg, Germany
July, 2011
Lago Film Festival
Ravine Lago, Italy
July, 2011
Traumzeit Festival
Duisburg, Germany
October, 2011
Asian Connection Festival du Cinéma Asiatique
Lyon, France
October, 2011
Festival International Signes de Nuit
Paris, France
November, 2011
Up-and-Coming Film Festival
Hannover
Germany
November, 2011
Vivé Rencontre Cinéma
Grigny, France
February, 2012
Dam Short Film Festival
Around The World Section
Boulder City, Nevada
May, 2012
Documentary Edge Festival
Auckland and Wellington, New Zealand

Director's Filmography

2010
Charcoal Boy

Director

11‘14‘‘

2011

Director

26‘40‘‘

2012

15‘51‘‘

2020

Co-Director

16‘24‘‘

2021
Reminiscences

Director

14‘0‘‘

Pictures