Set on the border of Thailand and Eastern Burma, Crossing Midnight tells the story of a remarkable community of refugees from Burma working against incredible odds to help their own. Today, one million internally displaced persons are living in the jungles of Eastern Burma in the midst of on-going armed conflict. There, they live on the run, risking injury and death to forage for food to sustain their families. Over two million more have fled to the border of neighboring Thailand after enduring decades of oppression by a brutal military dictatorship.

During the violent crackdown of the 1988 student uprising, Dr. Cynthia Maung and a group of fellow students fled to the border of Thailand. There, with virtually nothing in hand, they created the Mae Tao Clinic in a one-room barn.

Over twenty years later, in the midst of an unparalleled healthcare crisis, the clinic has grown into a community of over 500 healthcare workers, a school for refugee children and a dedicated group of cross-border backpack medics who travel at great risk through the jungles of Eastern Burma to treat those living on the run. Through rare footage of these backpack medics and poignant testimony from community leaders, Crossing Midnight presents a unique portrait of resilience, courage and hope.

(29 min, 2009)

Directed by: Kim A. Snyder
Produced by: Kim A. Snyder and Peggy Rajski
Director of Photography: Greg Poschman
Editors: Shilpi Gupta and Mark Becker
Associate Producer: Katherine Pickard