The Opium War

Inside Myanmar's civil war on drugs

The Opium War Myanmar's Kachin State has been fighting for autonomy since 1961. It is home to an ethnic group that makes up three per cent of Myanmar's population. But as the civil war escalated, so too did opioid use.


 The Opium War
(2020) on IMDb
LaurelHollywood International Independent Documentary Awards (Nov 2017) - Award of Recognition
LaurelDocs Without Borders Film Festival (Apr 2018) - Award of Excellence
LaurelMadrid International Film Festival, Spain (July 2018) - Nominated for Best Documentary
LaurelGuam International Film Festival, Guam-USA (Oct 2019) - Nominated for Best Documentary
In 2014, a vigilante anti-drug movement, Pat Jasan, was founded in Kachin. Their aggressive tactics, including destroying poppy fields, have led to armed clashes. Previously in the region, drugs had long been sold freely with police turning a blind eye. 'There are drug addicts in every family', explains one Kachin man. 'My father and my grandparents died of drugs', says another.
FULL SYNOPSIS

The Producers


John La Raw - Director

John La Raw is a Myanmar citizen, a Catholic Priest, a radio broadcaster, a writer and a filmmaker. He was born on March 10, 1974. He got BA in English and Theology, and earned MSC in Development Communication at the University of the Philippines Los Banos and Master of Fine Art in filmmaking, directing major (MFA) at Chung Ang University, Seoul, South Korea.

He worked 6 years as a coordinator, broadcaster, and scriptwriter of Kachin program at the Radio Veritas Asia, Manila, Philippines. He co-authored and published 2 books based on radio programs.

As a filmmaker, he wrote, directed and produced four religious and cultural feature videos in Myanmar. At Chung Ang University, he wrote, directed and produced one short film, “The Confession” as a student film, which was selected at eleven International Film Festivals and won five awards including "Best short film" at Mirabile dicto international catholic film festival, Rome, Italy. He wrote, directed and produced “The Opium War’ documentary film which was screened in several International Film Festivals. He recently released his first commercial feature film titled “Ma Ma” in Myanmar.

This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this site you are agreeing to our use of cookies. For more info see our Cookies Policy