Ploy

Forum Expanded

Inspired by the diary of a migrant worker, the documentary weaves several social and artistic threads together: the life a Thai migrant sex worker named Ploy who works in Singapore’s “jungle brothel”; the narratives of other migrant workers; an exploration of Singaporean forests and public parks; and the process through which the artist-filmmaker delves into and revisits Ploy’s experience. Ploy is a character as well as a collage of several visual forms, including painting, photography, photo-roman (photo-novel), 35mm slide projection, letters, and a herbarium. The film reconstructs the journey of Ploy through an array of visual media. (Prapat Jiwarangsan)

by Prapat Jiwarangsan
with Salaithip Charubhumi, Komsan Sritanaviboonchai Thailand / Singapore 2020 Thai, English 51’ Colour

With

Salaithip Charubhumi (voice)
Komsan Sritanaviboonchai (voice)

Crew

Written and Directed by	Prapat Jiwarangsan
Cinematography	Prapat Jiwarangsan
Editing	Piyarat Piyapongwiwat
Sound Design	Phuttipat Sangwanphet
Producer	Graiwoot Chulphongsathorn
Executive Producer	Graiwoot Chulphongsathorn

Produced by

Graiwoot Chulphongsathorn

Bangkok, Thailand

+66 8 18101375

Prapat Jiwarangsan

Prapat Jiwarangsan, born in 1979 in Bangkok, Thailand, is a visual artist and filmmaker. In his creative explorations, he usually incorporates a variety of media, especially photography, slides, and videos to investigate and represent the relationships between history, memory, and politics in Thailand—particularly in relation to the theme of migration. Having graduated from the Royal College of Art (RCA), Jiwarangsan has spent the last 6 years researching and making artwork that tackles the issues faced by migrant workers in Southeast Asia. He lives and works in Thailand.

Filmography (selection)

2009 Mirror Mask; 2 min. 2010 The Measure of Time; 12 min. · Hope to Dwell in Fear; video installation 2012 I Will Never Smile Again; video installation 2014 Artists Sick; 4 min · In the Asylum Garden; video installation 2015 Dok-Rak (The Asylum); 9 min. 2016 Aesthetics 101; 3 min. · Dust Under Feet; video installation · Asylum Seeker: The Pond and the Firefly; video installation 2018 The Wandering Ghosts; 20 min. · Destination Nowhere; 7 min. 2019 Nocturnal Flowers; video installation · Non-chronological History; video installation · Aesthetics 101; video installation 2020 Ploy

Bio- & filmography as of Berlinale 2021