Say Myanmar and most people will think of its military junta, the plight of Aung San Suu Kyi and the problems of a country led by an oppressive regime. But three young skateboarding filmmakers from the United Kingdom headed out there in 2009 to film "Burma behind the headlines."

Ten Myanmar amateur directors will compete in Japan-Mekong film competition to be held in Ibusuki and Kagosheema in Japan in the first week of December under the cultural exchange program of Myanmar and Japan, a local weekly reported Friday.

It is possible that the generals knew that the election would cause such outrage that the only way to mask it was to present the world with a different and more compelling story, the release of the most famous political prisoner in the world.

Myanmar has been cooperating with South Korea in art and culture exchange and Gwanju is striving itself to turn into an art city by launching culture exchange, sponsoring paper reading sessions and opening of art galleries, inviting Myanmar and other Asian countries to join in exhibition.