Dr Aung Min, prominent doctor, writer and filmmaker, dies at 62
DR Aung Min (MBBS-YGN, 1990, UM-1), aged
62, a prominent doctor, writer, film scriptwriter and art therapist in Myanmar’s
literary and film circles, passed away on 6 September.
Born in Yangon in 1964, Dr Aung Min graduated
from the University of Medicine 1, Yangon, in 1990. After graduation, he worked
as a doctor in Ayeyawady Region and Yangon until 2018. He subsequently
co-founded the Aung Mental Health Initiative (Aung MHI) with his wife, senior
psychiatrist Dr San San Oo, and carried out work providing art therapy for
people with mental health difficulties.
Dr Aung Min was also deeply passionate
about writing, even more so than medicine. He wrote numerous short stories and
essays for magazines, incorporating reflections on death, a central theme of
human existence, into his literary works. His published books included
Makaungthaw Nya (A Bad Night, 1999), Tawun Aya Di Myolay Ko Kyuntaw Yauk Kheh
Thi (I Came to This Little Town Out of Duty, 2003) and Myanmar’s Contemporary
Art, Part 1 (2010).
In the film industry, he attended film
courses run by FAMU and the Yangon Film School (YFS) around 2006-2007. He later
wrote the screenplay for The Monk (2014), directed by internationally
acclaimed filmmaker The Maw Naing. As the leader of the Ten Men film collective,
he continued to create film-related works, including Man With The Beard (2022).
In addition, The Clinic, a documentary
made by Myanmar-born Chinese director Midi Z about Dr Aung Min’s small clinic
on the outskirts of the city, won the Grand Prize at the International Documentary
Festival of Taiwan Province of China. Speaking at the festival 2024
discussion, Dr Aung Min said:
“Whenever young people come to me to
discuss making films, I usually tell them, ‘Making films is not the main
thing. The main thing is to take good care of yourselves, especially your
mental health.’
“Because emotional healing is so
important, making a film is actually the easiest part. Living life with
resilience is much more difficult.”
At the Festival, the Ten Men film
collective and the Japan Foundation (Yangon) have issued statements expressing
their deep sorrow over Dr Aung Min’s death. The festival paid tribute to him as
an important pioneer of Myanmar’s independent film industry, while the Ten Men
collective described him as a guiding star for the group.
Dr Aung Min’s body will be cremated at
Yayway Cemetery at 5 pm on Tuesday, 8 September. A ceremony to mark the
seventh day after his death will be held at his home in Dagon Myothit (North)
Township at 7 am on Saturday, 12 September.
He is survived by his wife, Dr San San
Oo, and his sons, Maung Nyan Lin and Maung Thet Saung Aye. — TWA/KNN
No comments