Fantasia Film Festival 2026 – Writer/director Arkar Soe Oo’s The Last Footage is Myanmar’s first found footage movie. It’s shot entirely from a first-person point-of-view and follows a group of friends who venture deep into the remote Wingabar Forest, which is allegedly haunted. As viewers will likely suspect, what the friends find there poses a serious threat to their survival, and of course, footage remains of what they encountered.
The director plays Aung Khant, who records everything with his smart glasses. The group treks to the forest to find an abandoned rubber factory that the cocky Thu Ya (Charlie Nyein) has inherited. Meanwhile, his uncle, Ko Nyo (Kyaw Kyaw Bo), warns the friends not to travel there. He once lived in the forest and claims it contains unspeakable evil. He even stands in front of the bus at one point, until they eventually let him travel with them.
Initially, everything seems fine, until one of the friends, Linn (Li Li Kyaw Khaing), loses her kid brother, Min Thant (Phyo Khant), who, for whatever reason, accompanies the friend group. From there, the friends also encounter an old woman near the factory who warns them about a monster that lurks in the woods. She also has Linn perform a blood ritual to find and protect her brother, but it turns out it resurrects the woman’s deceased son.
If this film has a flaw, it’s that the undead kid and monster look cheap, but this is a low-budget movie, as are a lot of found footage features. Still, there’s nothing all that scary about a zombie and horned creature that look like Spirit Halloween knockoffs. However, what does work about this film is the atmosphere. The forest feels like a living, breathing character, beyond just a spooky setting. From the moment the friends enter the woods, it feels like they’ll be consumed by the forest itself. There’s also some strong sound design that foreshadows the creature’s eventual arrival.
Additionally, though this movie has a fairly large cast for a found footage movie, the friends do feel distinct. They’re given their own personalities and quirks to make them feel separate from each other. In that regard, not a single character in this movie feels like a red shirt or mere fodder for the monster. Even the bus driver has his own laid-back personality, complete with a tie-dyed shirt and dreadlocks. The POV is another positive. We see everything up close and personal, be it the emotional turmoil of the characters, or the eventual creature attacks. The POV takes the viewer right along with the group, deeper and deeper into a creepy forest.
The Last Footage shows a young director’s promise. Though the feature’s monsters aren’t all that effective or scary, the movie does have an immersive and effective setting, along with unique characters.
