Zarganar
Burmese film director (born 1961) / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Maung Thura "Zarganar" (also called Zaganar, Burmese: ဇာဂနာ; also Zargana, pronounced [zàɡənà]); born 27 January 1961) is a popular Burmese comedian, film actor, and a film director as well as a fierce critic and often political prisoner of the Burmese military government. Known for his wicked puns against the government which is a military junta, Zarganar, whose name translates to "tweezers", is widely considered to be the most popular comedian and satirist in Myanmar.
This article needs to be updated. (April 2021) |
Zarganar | |
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ဇာဂနာ | |
Born | Thura (1961-01-27) 27 January 1961 (age 63) |
Alma mater | |
Occupation(s) | Writer, director, actor, comedian, satirist |
Years active | 1981–present |
Spouse | Lwin Mar Oo |
Children | Myat Kaung, Nge Oo Mon |
Parent(s) | Aung Thein (Nan Nyunt Swe) and Hla Kyi (Kyi Oo) |
Website | Official Facebook account (currently unavailable) |
In September 2006, Zarganar was banned indefinitely from performing publicly or participating in any kind of entertainment related work. He was arrested on 4 June 2008 for speaking to foreign media about the situation of millions of people left homeless after a cyclone devastated the Irrawaddy Delta.[1] In November 2008, he was sentenced to 59 years in prison, convicted of "public order offenses", under four sections of the criminal code—17/2, 32 (b), 295 (a) and 505 (b), much more than the anticipated maximum of two years.[2][3] On 16 February 2009, following the appeals by the family, Yangon Divisional Court reduced the prison sentence by "up to 24 years", bringing the sentence down to 35 years.[4] In December 2008, Zarganar has been sent to Myitkyina Prison in Kachin State in the country's far north,[5] from which he was freed on 11 October 2011 in a mass amnesty of political prisoners.[6]
Zarganar was awarded the Lillian Hellman and Dashiell Hammett Award, given by the Fund for Free Expression, a committee organized by the New-York-based Human Rights Watch.[7] In October 2008, Zarganar was awarded One Humanity Award by PEN Canada of which he is an honorary member.[8]