ArtistHtooLwinMyoexcavatesthelesser-knownandwildlyjoyfulhistoryofMyanmar’shorrorandgenrefilmindustryinthe1950sthathaspersistedthroughpoliticalturmoilandarchivalneglect,tolddirectlybythepeoplewhomadeit. TheWesterngazehaslatelyviewedMyanmarthroughaconnectiontopoliticaloppressionandnaturalcatastrophe,what’slesserknownfromthatperspectiveisthecountry’scinematichistory.InNoMagicforSocialistsBurmeseartistHtooLwinMyolookstooneofthemostdelightfulchaptersofhisnation’sfilmhistory.Thespecialeffectsheavyhorrorandfantasyspectaclesofthe1950sandearly1960s–agenreessentiallycrushedafterthemilitarycoupof1962andtherisetopowerofasocialistpartythatconsideredthesetalesofsuperstitionaviolationofthenewideologicalorder. ConsideringthepoorstateofthepreservationofMyanmarfilmicheritage,it’swithgreatluckthatsomeexamplesofthispersecutedgenrestillsurvive,ifusuallyonlyinfragmentsandindeterioratedstates.Still,eachframeHtooLwinMyohasunearthedandnowshareswiththeworldiscauseforjoy,whileeachstorytoldbythefilmmakersheassemblesfromthebygoneindustryisasourceofwonder.