'Burma VJ' gets Best Documentary Oscar nod

The nominations for the 2010 Oscars were announced in Hollywood last night, with South East Asian documentary “Burma VJ” receiving a nomination in the Best Documentary Feature category.

Directed by Anders Østergaard, "Burma VJ" chronicles the work of dissident video-journalists during the September 2007 'Saffron Revolution' uprisings led by Buddhist monks in Myanmar.

As Bangkok blogger Wise Kwai notes in a piece posted today, parts of the documentary were filmed in Chiang Mai, Thailand, where the main dissident in the film was forced to set up shop to monitor satellite transmissions and e-mails from his colleagues in Yangon after things got too heated in Myanmar.

In other news:

Minds wide open: The build-up for TEDxBKK continues. In this week’s Brand Matters column, the Bangkok Post looks at the TED phenomena and why Bangkok's first TEDx event is so significant for the city.

Rhythm of the earth: Thailand's World Musiq & World Bar-B-Q Festival returns for its fifth edition at CentralWorld tonight.

Pigeons stay put … for now: Following a big outcry, Bangkok Metropolitan Administration officials have backed down on the plan to send some 10,000 pigeons from Sanam Luang to Ratchaburi province.