Private Project

Sound of the Spirits

The Lisu people’s bond with nature is a profoundly spiritual one. Theirs is a world that is filled with the spirits of the forests and mountains where they live and farm. The harvest season may have come to an end but the souls of many a villager have a habit of lingering in the fields of the uplands where they can cause all kinds of mischief. This richly atmospheric exploration of Lisu animism brings us closer to the mellifluous-voiced shaman Byar Wu, whose job it is to summon these lost souls back into the bodies of his community in Chaung Gyi village in Shan State and so prevent sickness and disease.

  • Lin Hnin Aye
    Director
  • Khin Warso
    Producer
  • Nu Nu Hlaing
    Producer
  • David Kyaw Thet Aung
    Cinematographer
  • Zaw Lar
    Sound Recordist
  • Khin Myanmar
    Editor
  • Project Type:
    Documentary, Feature
  • Genres:
    Ethnographic, Cultural, Social Issue
  • Runtime:
    1 hour 5 minutes
  • Production Budget:
    8,000 EUR
  • Country of Origin:
    Myanmar
  • Country of Filming:
    Myanmar
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Film Festival Della Lessinia
    Verona
    Italy
    August 23, 2024
    World Premiere
    Official Selection, https://www.ffdl.it/en/film/scheda/1649/sound_of_the_spirits
Distribution Information
  • Yangon Film School
    Distributor
    Country: Myanmar
    Rights: All Rights
Director Biography - Lin Hnin Aye

​Lin Hnin Aye is an independent filmmaker from Yangon in Myanmar with an academic background in journalism, cultural studies and media. Since joining Yangon Film School in 2012 she has worked on a number of film projects as a director and/or cinematographer. Her directing debut was The Washu Family, a gentle portrait of a Lisu family living in a remote village one hour north of Putao in Myanmar’s Kachin State, where things have changed very little in the last century. Her work as a communications professional for humanitarian organisations in Myanmar and her studies in sociology have drawn her to social issues and ethnography. Sound of the Spirits is her second film about the Lisu people in Myanmar.

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Director Statement

Growing up in the concrete jungle of Myanmar’s former capital Yangon, it was hard for me to imagine life in remoter parts of the country without electricity or the comforts of modern living. My fascination for the Lisu began when I travelled to a community near the foothills of the Himalayas to make The Washu Family. The experience made me want to learn more about the Lisu way of life, and so for Sound of the Spirits I went to Lisu villages in the uplands of Mandalay region and Shan State where I observed their spiritual practices that are completely synchronised with nature. I met many shamans during the course of my research but what struck me about U Bya Wuu was not only his dedication to shamanism but also his genuine passion for helping people even when this means an arduous journey across the hills. ‘I wouldn’t be able to live with
myself if I refused to help a sick child and their illness got worse’, he told me.

Myanmar is now more conflicted than ever in the wake of the 2021 military coup. I hope my film will help people to connect with this Lisu community and that discovering their stories will help to build trust and empathy in these times of fear and uncertainty.