Following Suu Kyi's controversial reign as State Counsellor of Myanmar and her defense of the Rohingya genocide, both filmmaker Luc Besson and screenwriter Rebecca Frayn stated they regretted making this film.
Written over a period of three years by Rebecca Frayn. Interviews with key figures in Aung San Suu Kyi's entourage enabled her to reconstruct her story for the first time.
In June 2011, Michelle Yeoh landed in Rangoon Airport and was deported the same day. She had previously travelled to Myanmar, including in December 2010 to visit Aung San Suu Kyi with Kim Aris, Suu Kyi's son. A Burmese official later said the actress was blacklisted and would not be able to enter Burma.
Michelle Yeoh studied 200 hours of video of Suu Kyi and learned Burmese for the role.
This film was produced prior to Suu Kyi appearing at the The Hague in 2019 where she publicly disputed the accusations of genocide against Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar.