D1film

Fruit Gathering
in postproduction

The debut feature by Aung Phyoe, director of three award-winning short films, is an intimate chamber piece set in present-day Myanmar (Burma) – a country torn by division and uncertainty. Within this fragile context, we follow two young women, factory workers San Kyi and Theint Theint Oo, as they grow closer during the monotonous days in a textile factory in an industrial zone of Yangon.

San Kyi, a rather reserved young woman, increasingly considers returning to her native village, but jobs are scarce, so she tries to stay. Her feelings gradually begin to focus on the more pragmatic and confident Theint. Their relationship unfolds in shades of silence, gestures, and unspoken desires – in a space where closeness and love between women remain socially unacceptable.

The film gently touches on how female desire and fragile emotional bonds survive in an environment that offers them no space – caught between exhaustion from work, the impossibility of planning for the future, and the pressure of the collective.

It does not rely on conventional dramatic structure but builds quiet tension through close observation of daily life. It is a subtle testimony to the persistence of emotional sensitivity in a world that is both harsh to live in and hostile to difference.

PRESSKIT TO DOWNLOAD

Image: Fruit Gathering
  • Fruit Gathering
  • Original title: သစ်သီးခူး
  • Countries of origin: Myanmar / Czech Republic / France
  • Production year: 2026
  • Duration: 97 min
  • Language: Burmese
  • Format: 1.33:1
  • Sound: 5.1

Creative team

  • Written and directed by: Aung Phyoe
  • Cinematographer: Thaiddhi
  • Editor: Emily Swe
  • Costume designer: Akari Dirako
  • Sound recordist: Eaiddhi
  • Sound designer: Jan Richtr
  • Production design: Mg Moore Phyu
  • Producers: Thu Thu Shein, Thaiddhi – Third Floor Film Production (MM)
  • Co-producers: Vít Janeček – D1film (CZ), Claire Marquet – Art_Production (FR)
  • Production: Third Floor Film
  • Co-production: D1film, Art_Production
  • Supported by: CNC – Aide aux cinémas du monde, Czech Film Fund

Cast

  • Nandar Myat Aung as San Kyi
  • Nandar Myint Lwin as Theint Theint Oo
  • Thida Soe Khant as Ei Ei Khin
  • Tin Tin Ei as Ohm Kyi
  • Min Nyo as Phone Shwe

Director

Aung Phyoe is a writer, director, and film editor based in Yangon, Myanmar. He holds a Diploma in Editing from Whistling Woods International. His short film Cobalt Blue premiered in the Pardi di Domani section of the Locarno International Film Festival, while Evening Clouds had its premiere at the Singapore International Film Festival. Alongside his film work, he translates literature and writes short stories in Burmese.

Director’s filmography

  • Fruit Gathering – feature fiction film, 97 min, 2026
  • Evening Clouds – short fiction film, 18 min, 2022; Singapore International Film Festival – Southeast Asian Short Film Competition
  • Cobalt Blue – short fiction film, 27 min, 2019; Locarno International Film Festival – Pardi di Domani, Singapore International Film Festival – Southeast Asian Short Film Competition
  • Seasonal Rain – short fiction film, 30 min, 2018; Locarno International Film Festival – Open Doors Screenings

Pitchings, development presentations and awards

  • Jury Award, Myanmar Script Fund, 2017
  • Autumn Meeting Grand Prix for feature film project Fruit Gathering at Art House
  • Film Corner Pitching, Vietnam, 2018
  • FLY Film Lab, Session 1, 2019
  • Southeast Asian Film Lab, Singapore International Film Festival, 2019
  • Luang Prabang Talents Lab, 2019
  • Locarno Open Doors Hub, 2020 – Development Grant CNC
  • Ties That Bind, 2020 – Selected

Media reflections