YANGON, March 25 (Xinhua) -- Myanmar is striving for its movie development with an aim to reach the quality of regional and international movies.
The Myanmar Motion Picture Organization (MMPO) presented on Saturday 12 motion picture academy awards for the year 2018 to winners, most of whom are new-faced, after scrutiny out of 83 selected movies from 159 produced in the year.
The awards include a lifetime achievement one won by Daw Myint Myint Khin, a 85-year-old actress who previously won five film academy awards.
The other awards included best film, director, screenplay, leading actor and actress, supporting actor and actress, cinematography, music, sound and editing.
Dr Pe Myint, Minister of Information, told the ward presentation ceremony in Yangon that this year brought development to Myanmar's movie industry with significant changes seen on screen.
He pointed out that competitions among movie production and greater prospects for producing more good movies were brought about by increasing investment in the undertakings.
State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi also told the Myanmar motion picture community to vaule their creation and to show their efforts towards raising their standard.
She asked the motion picture community to continuously innovate to produce better movies while academy award events would also be innovated to make them more grand and spectacular.
She stressed the use of subtle power of creative art in striving for a peaceful, united and developed country, saying that motion pictures greatly influence the hearts and minds of the poeple and emphasizing the use of the gentle soft artistic power to benefit not only the the country but the world as well.
She urged actors and actresses in the country to become a role model for their audiences and the people through their ethics and efforts as well as love and value of the country.
As some three movies, three series and a short story were made in Nay Pyi Taw, the capital of Myanmar, Aung San Suu Kyi expressed delight that the capital was becoming a city associated with entertainment, concluding that "As the local and foreign investors' interest in the motion picture sector increased, our dream of making Nay Pyi Taw a movie capital would become closer to realization."
There were 83 movies screened in cinemas in Myanmar in 2018, up from 33 in 2016 and the number of cinemas reached 146 in the country with 20 more expected to be added over the next three years.
