Paing Phyo Thu (; born 5 April 1990) is a Myanmar Academy Award winning Burmese film actress and a medical doctor. She won the Myanmar Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress in 2017 Myanmar Motion Picture Academy Awards with the film, 3Girls. Paing Phyo Thu is considered one of the promising and prominent actresses in

Myanmar Myanmar, officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar; and also referred to as Burma (the official English name until 1989), is a country in northwest Southeast Asia. It is the largest country by area in Mainland Southeast Asia and has ...

. She is known for her performances in '' Mi'' (2018), '' Now & Ever'' (2019) and ''

What Happened to the Wolf? ''What Happened to the Wolf? '' is a 2021 Burmese drama film, written and directed by Na Gyi, starring Eaindra Kyaw Zin and Paing Phyo Thu. The film was produced by May Sandi Tin Oo, edited by Nyan Wint and background music composed by Myint ...

'' (2021).

Early life and education

Paing Phyo Thu was born on 5 April 1990 in Yangon, Myanmar. Her mother Nwe Oo, is a physician. She passed the matriculation from

TTC Yangon The "Practising School, Yangon Institute of Education"(), later, "Practising High School, Yangon University of Education"() (abbreviated TTC Yangon) was the name of a high school in Yangon, Myanmar, which is currently called Basic Education Dep ...

in 2006. She graduated from the

University of Medicine 1, Yangon The University of Medicine 1, Yangon ( ; formerly the Institute of Medicine 1), located in Yangon, it is the oldest medical school in Myanmar. The university offers Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery, M.B.B.S. (equivalent of the Doctor of Medicine, ...

. She served as Health Ambassador (Yangon Division) for Ministry of Health and Sports in 2018.

Career

Paing Phyo Thu started her career as a child actor in 1999. Her performances as child actor stood out and she became an actress in

major films in later years. In 2017, she was cast to play a lead role in the film '' Mi'' which is based on the novel by one of the most prominent Myanmar novelists, Kyi Aye. Although expectations were high, the film was well received by the audience. The film release was followed by some criticism on her portrayal of character Mi who is a chain-smoker. She stood firmly of her portrayal of Mi by giving up her title of Health Ambassador (

Yangon Division Yangon Region (, ; formerly Rangoon Division and Yangon Division) is an administrative region of Myanmar. Located in central Myanmar, the region is bordered by Bago Region to the north and east, the Gulf of Martaban to the south, and Ayeyarwady ...

) for Ministry of Health and Sports. She won the Best Actress Award for her performance in '' Mi'' (film) at Star Awards (2018). She was nominated (Best Actress) for her performance in '' Mi'' (film) a
ASEAN International Film Festival and Awards
(2019). In 2021, she was also nominated for Best Performance (Seymour Cassel Award) in ''

'' at

Oldenburg International Film Festival The Oldenburg International Film Festival, sometimes called the ''European Sundance'', has covered the international film scene in all aspects since 1994. It is held in Oldenburg (city), Oldenburg, Germany. History Films such as Park Chan-wook� ...

(2021). On 1 January 2019, she married Na Gyi, the Burmese film director who directed the film, '' Mi''.

Political activities

Following the

2021 Myanmar coup d'état A coup d'état in Myanmar began on the morning of 1 February 2021, when Elections in Myanmar, democratically elected members of the country's ruling party, the National League for Democracy (NLD), were deposed by the Tatmadaw, Myanmar's milita ...

, Paing Phyo Thu was active in anti-coup movements both in person at rallies and through social media. Denouncing the military coup, she has taken part in protests since February. She joined the "We Want Justice"

three-finger salute Three-finger salute may refer to: *Three-finger salute (Serbian), a salute used by Serbs * Three-finger salute (Sicilian), a salute used by Sicilian nationalists and separatists * Three-finger salute (pro-democracy), a gesture originally from the H ...

movement. The movement was launched on social media, and many celebrities have joined the movement. On 2 April 2021, warrant for her arrest was issued under section 505 (a) of the

Myanmar Penal Code The Penal Code of Myanmar is the official criminal code of Myanmar. The code was enacted on 1 May 1861 during British rule in Burma and is divided into 23 chapters. The Penal Code of Myanmar is nearly identical to the Indian Penal Code, due to th ...

by the

State Administration Council The State Administration Council (; abbreviated SAC or နစက) is the military junta currently governing Myanmar, established by Commander-in-Chief of Defence Services Min Aung Hlaing following the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état, February 2021 c ...

for speaking out against the military coup, calling for participation in the

Civil Disobedience Movement Civil disobedience is the active and professed refusal of a citizen to obey certain laws, demands, orders, or commands of a government (or any other authority). By some definitions, civil disobedience has to be nonviolent to be called "civil". ...

(CDM) and supporting the

Committee Representing Pyidaungsu Hluttaw The Committee Representing Pyidaungsu Hluttaw (; abbreviated CRPH) is a Burmese legislative body in exile, representing a group of National League for Democracy lawmakers and members of parliament ousted in the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état. T ...

. Paing Phyo Thu and Na Gyi have been in hiding ever since.

Filmography

Film (cinema)

*'' Angel of Eden'' (2016) *'' Nay Win Ate Tan Tat'' (2017) *'' 3Girls'' (2017) *'' Mi'' (2018) *'' Lay Par Kyawt Shein Warazain'' (2019) *'' Sponsor (2019) *'' Now and Ever'' (2019) *'' Bo Nay Toe'' (2019) *'' Confession of a Woman'' (2020) *'' Longing with Love'' (2020) *'' Lady Danger'' (2020) *''

'' (2021) *''It's Not Over, We Still Have Our Turn'' (2023)

Television series

*'' Battle of 2 Flowers'' (2017)

Awards

References

External links

* * {{authority control Living people 1990 births 21st-century Burmese physicians Burmese women physicians University of Medicine 1, Yangon alumni 21st-century Burmese actresses