Laundry is a seemingly mundane household chore, but for 23-year-old filmmaker Kyaw Shoon Le Yee, it represents much more. Le Yee, who hails from Myanmar and spent her formative years in Singapore after moving here at the age of three, grew up surrounded by the Burmese belief that women’s clothes are considered unclean.
It’s to an extent that freshly washed women’s clothes cannot be hung together with clothing of their male counterparts, and has to be dried out of sight.
“Every year, my family would return to Myanmar to visit during the December holidays where I would have to hand wash my pants, skirts, and undergarments (any clothing below the waist) and hang them at the back balcony of the house, away from the public’s eye,” she recalls.
“The housing infrastructure is not designed in the safest manner, and when I was 14, I almost slipped and fell out of the balcony while trying to hang my clothes out to dry. That was when it hit me – I almost lost my life conforming to this belief that women’s bottom clothes have to be hung away from the public eye. Is it worth losing a life over this? I asked my grandma about this belief, and she said that it’s just the way it has been for thousands of years; traditions are to be respected.”
I almost lost my life conforming to this belief that women’s bottom clothes have to be hung away from the public eye.
Kyaw Shoon Le Yee
Hoping to tackle this societal expectation of women and address this decades-old practice of female oppression, the young filmmaker decided to make a short film on the topic for her final year project in her film-making degree at the Nanyang Technological University’s School of Art, Design and Media.
Titled Dirty Laundry, the short film is written and directed by Le Yee. Described as “a simple story about womanhood, forced conformity and cultural misogyny”, the film is shot in the Myanmar language, and centres around a teenager who disagrees with her parents on how freshly washed women’s clothes should not be hung above men’s clothes while drying out in the open.
“My aim for this film is for women to relate to and find comfort in this shared collective experience of womanhood, because after all, if we strip away the laundry aspect, the core message is applicable to many cases,” she asserts. “I also want to empower the audience to stand up for their beliefs and tell them that while it may be hard to change traditions, we can still try to negotiate our way around it. Only by then will we be able to slowly affect change.”
I also want to empower the audience to stand up for their beliefs and tell them that while it may be hard to change traditions, we can still try to negotiate our way around it.
Kyaw Shoon Le Yee
With its compelling and thought-provoking narrative that carefully sheds light on this cultural conflict, Dirty Laundry made an impressionable impact on the judges at this year’s National Youth Film Awards (NYFA) – so much so that it clinched three awards: Best Live Action, Best Director and Best Screenplay in the Student category.
The film was also a finalist at the 24th Seoul International Women’s Film Festival (SIWFF).
“Filmmaking is tough. It eats up almost every ounce of my soul telling such a personal story and of course, as graduating students, we are often left wondering if we should pursue this path,” says Le Yee, on her impressive achievements for a film that started out as a final-year school project. “These awards and nominations were like a vote of confidence for myself and my team – that we are on the right track, and that we should persevere on this filmmaking journey.”
Here, Le Yee shares more about her passion for filmmaking, her thoughts on this traditional Burmese belief, and how she reacted when she first heard the news of her nominations and awards.
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This Young Filmmaker Won Multiple Awards For Her Film About Laundry
When did you first realise your passion for filmmaking?
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There wasn’t a specific moment that sparked my interest. Rather, it started when I was a kid. My dad would frequently watch movies and I would just sit beside him and watch them together. From these little moments, I gradually grew to become more interested in how these movies were made.
However, growing up in Singapore, I often hear adults speak unfavourably about pursuing the arts so naturally, I did not think much into venturing into making films. But when I was in JC, I wasn’t happy with what I was studying and that affirmed my belief that I’ve really got to have the courage and pursue what I want in life.
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Tell us a little more about the inspiration behind Dirty Laundry. Why did you choose this topic?
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Being a woman in the Burmese culture, which has a very traditional culture, is not the easiest. Since my early teens, I’ve noticed the small ways in which women were treated or had to do differently from men. While this thought stayed with me for many years, I only had the chance to process it when I was in university.
Fast forward to university, I became increasingly invested in women issues and feminism, and when we were told to pitch an idea for our final year project, I knew I wanted to tell this story. As film is a very visual medium, it is able to effectively showcase the everyday discrimination faced by women through the visual contrast of hanging men’s clothes at the front balcony vs women’s clothes at the back of the house. It also underscores the main point that I wanted to bring across – that misogyny is deeply embedded in our culture everywhere. While it may be subtle, it does surface in our everyday life and even in the simplest forms of activities like doing laundry.
Another reason why I chose this topic was also because I believe that there is a deficit of information, films and stories spotlighting women and women issues. Hence, through Dirty Laundry, I hope to be able to contribute on this front, encourage meaningful conversations, and ultimately spark change.
Kyaw Shoon Le Yee
What was the research process like for the movie?
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To be very honest, I didn’t have to do much research because I grew up with this tradition. I did ask the Burmese actresses who came for the audition about their thoughts on this tradition and most of them agreed that they aren’t entirely comfortable with it. However, most concluded that it is just the way it is, implying that there is nothing much we can do about it.
Kyaw Shoon Le Yee
What is your personal opinion on this Burmese belief?
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I don’t agree with this at all! If I follow this Burmese belief, I would be betraying myself, but if I don’t, I would be labelled a rebel and a bad daughter. So, to be honest, I am still trying to negotiate my way around this, which is why I ended the film without a definitive conclusion.
It is an ongoing journey not just for me, but I believe for many young Burmese women as well.
In the ending scene [of the film], the protagonist hangs laundry in the living room – she uses her laundry to
immobilise her dad from going after her (given that men can’t touch / go under women’s clothes) – as she runs away from home. It has a touch of irony, but also holds my key message for women to turn their disadvantage to their advantage as well.
Kyaw Shoon Le Yee
Your film was the biggest winner at NYFA 2022, and it was also shortlisted as the finalist at the 24th SIWFF – how did you feel when you first heard the news?
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I was not expecting it at all. The night before NYFA, I messaged my producer, Linnet, and told her not to have expectations and even told my family “we probably won’t win anything”. I had the expectation of going to the ceremony to applaud the winners and have fun at the after-party. But, to my surprise they announced Dirty Laundry for Best Screenplay and it was a huge surprise! When they were going to announce for Best Director, my team looked at me hopefully but I just shook my head and said, “aiya cannot win two awards one lah”, but then they called our film again!
As for the SIWFF nomination – coincidentally, I was at KKH for a medical check-up for a women-related health issue. I was just getting out of the doctor office and thinking to myself, “how troublesome it is to be a woman” when I received a text message from Linnet (my producer) saying that we got nominated and I instantly thought to myself “I love being a woman!”. It’s really my privilege to be able to tell these untold stories from a woman’s perspective.
I am thankful for the recognition that our film received, and incredibly proud of my team – Linnet, Xin Yun, Angel, Renee, Joanna, Khairul – they were the best teammates anyone could ask for! It was such a surreal experience at NYFA given that it was my first time entering such a competition, and I’m super grateful for such a welcoming platform for young filmmakers like myself to share our stories with the world while honing our skillsets.
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Looking ahead, what’s next? Are there any projects you’re currently in the midst of?
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Currently I am writing and directing with a local production house. I have plans to make more short films and hopefully a feature as well. Fingers crossed!
Text: Her World/ CHERYL LAI-LIM
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