From dissenter to director
"If I were to become an artist only after becoming an actor, I would never become who I am now. I have worked as a co-star and a supporting actor. I have used every opportunity given to me to make a name for myself and tried hard with my own capabilities,
Although debuting in the film industry as a supporting actor, he didn’t make it as a film-maker/director until he was 30. Born in Yangon on December 22, 1973 to Toe Toe Myint and Maung Maung Thanm, Wyne is the eldest of the three siblings. Despite his normal childhood, Wyne was a rebel in his teens and at 15, he witnessed and took part in the People Power Uprising in 1988, also known as the 8888 Uprising.
“I went to school at the age of four and a half so by the time I was 15, I was in the 10th standard. When the student uprising took place, I was still young, but really I couldn’t stand any kind of injustice. I started loving the spirit of truth. These spirits drove me to take part in the uprising. I saw many students killed in front of my own eyes. I couldn’t stand these injustices. That’s why I participated in it,” said Wyne.
Though he wasn’t a member of a generation of political activists, his obstinate involvement in political movements did weigh heavily on his parents.
In his youth, his ambition to be a soldier – inspired by special film tributes to the military on TV – was thwarted by his bitter experiences during the uprising.
“My detention as a result of my political involvement at the age of 15 was the most difficult time in my life. Anyone who has experienced this will know how I was feeling. I was so young and scared. They pressed me to sign a confession to a crime I didn’t commit. It didn’t make sense to sign it,” he said.
After the uprising, he pursued an undergraduate programme in physics.
“I still have many memories of life as a university student. I failed the exam in my 3rd year. I didn’t retake it the following year so I didn’t graduate. I did as I liked,” he said.
However, in the years that follows, he graduated from being a student activist to being an actor. In the early 1990s, Wyne made his first acting debut in “A Naing Pine Thae Achit”, which would land him a supporting or cameo role in many more films.
He learned about filmmaking from the two film-maker brothers, Naung Tun Lwin and Nyi Nyi Tun Lwin.
In 2006, he directed his first direct-to-video film titled “Eain Mat Say Hnyun Yar” with Sai Sai Kham Leng and Eindra Kyaw Zin. His first feature film, “Kyauk Sat Yay”, came out in 2009.
“When I became a director, I gave priority to quality rather than quantity. I followed my own principles with confidence. Even when I was working as a music video director, I never shot more than five music videos per month. That’s why I ran into serious financial trouble. When I needed the money, I worked as a [supporting] actor. So I didn’t accept all the offers,” said Wine.
Since the release of “Adam, Eve, and Dattha” in 2011, his fans expected it to win the hearts of the Academy’s judging panel. Sadly it didn’t take a gong, even though his top-grossing films picked up multiple Academy awards in recognition of members of his production team for two straight years.
Finally, he scooped his first Academy for "Satan Yae' Ka Chay Tal" (“The Dance of Satan") last December. Currently he’s taking a two-month break from filming a TV soap and two feature films.
