Ploy

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 Thailand / Singapore 2020 Thai, English 51’ Colour

Part of the Berlinale Summer Special

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

Prapat Jiwarangsan

Prapat Jiwarangsan is a visual artist and film director from Thailand. 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. Jiwarangsan graduated from the Royal College of Art (RCA) and has spent the last six years researching and making artwork that tackles the issues faced by migrant workers in Southeast Asia. One of the results is Ploy, selected in 2021 for Forum Expanded.

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; 51 min., Forum Expanded 2021 2021 Parasite Family

Bio- & filmography as of Berlinale 2022