Jane M. Ferguson is associate professor of anthropology and Southeast Asian history at the Australian National University.

Silver Screens and Golden Dreams reflects the author’s passion for the country and for this art form. Based on copious original research over a number of years, this social history is both informed and peppered with lively narratives about the many charismatic figures that have populated Burmese cinema on both sides of the camera. Her examination of the role of cinema as the natural heir to performative arts in Myanmar such as puppetry, zat and anyeint theater, and the relationship between film and cultural identity reveals her intimate knowledge of the country and its ethnically diverse population." - Lindsey Merrison, filmmaker and founder of the Yangon Film School in Myanmar"It is hard to imagine a more delightful introduction to the wonderful world of Burmese moviedom than this ground-breaking survey of the histories, technologies, and ideologies of a film industry as unique as it is unknown beyond Burmese borders. Encyclopedic in scope, effervescent in spirit, Silver Screens and Golden Dreams captures the power of Burmese popular culture – cinema, theatre, musical performance – to beguile and endure through six decades of profound political, economic, and social challenges. Movie buffs the world over, no matter how unfamiliar with Burmese movies, will surely be enlightened, charmed, and moved by this pioneering work." - Wendy Law-Yone, author of A Daughter's Memoir of Burma

Jane M. Ferguson is associate professor of anthropology and Southeast Asian history at the Australian National University.

Silver Screens and Golden Dreams reflects the author’s passion for the country and for this art form. Based on copious original research over a number of years, this social history is both informed and peppered with lively narratives about the many charismatic figures that have populated Burmese cinema on both sides of the camera. Her examination of the role of cinema as the natural heir to performative arts in Myanmar such as puppetry, zat and anyeint theater, and the relationship between film and cultural identity reveals her intimate knowledge of the country and its ethnically diverse population." - Lindsey Merrison, filmmaker and founder of the Yangon Film School in Myanmar"It is hard to imagine a more delightful introduction to the wonderful world of Burmese moviedom than this ground-breaking survey of the histories, technologies, and ideologies of a film industry as unique as it is unknown beyond Burmese borders. Encyclopedic in scope, effervescent in spirit, Silver Screens and Golden Dreams captures the power of Burmese popular culture – cinema, theatre, musical performance – to beguile and endure through six decades of profound political, economic, and social challenges. Movie buffs the world over, no matter how unfamiliar with Burmese movies, will surely be enlightened, charmed, and moved by this pioneering work." - Wendy Law-Yone, author of A Daughter's Memoir of Burma

Jane M. Ferguson is associate professor of anthropology and Southeast Asian history at the Australian National University.

Silver Screens and Golden Dreams reflects the author’s passion for the country and for this art form. Based on copious original research over a number of years, this social history is both informed and peppered with lively narratives about the many charismatic figures that have populated Burmese cinema on both sides of the camera. Her examination of the role of cinema as the natural heir to performative arts in Myanmar such as puppetry, zat and anyeint theater, and the relationship between film and cultural identity reveals her intimate knowledge of the country and its ethnically diverse population." - Lindsey Merrison, filmmaker and founder of the Yangon Film School in Myanmar"It is hard to imagine a more delightful introduction to the wonderful world of Burmese moviedom than this ground-breaking survey of the histories, technologies, and ideologies of a film industry as unique as it is unknown beyond Burmese borders. Encyclopedic in scope, effervescent in spirit, Silver Screens and Golden Dreams captures the power of Burmese popular culture – cinema, theatre, musical performance – to beguile and endure through six decades of profound political, economic, and social challenges. Movie buffs the world over, no matter how unfamiliar with Burmese movies, will surely be enlightened, charmed, and moved by this pioneering work." - Wendy Law-Yone, author of A Daughter's Memoir of Burma