Anocha Suwichakornpong
Encyclopedia
Anocha Suwichakornpong is a Thai
independent
film director
, screenwriter
and producer
.
, where she attended universities and graduated with bachelor's and master's degrees. In 2006, she graduated from the MFA film program at Columbia University
, where she was a recipient of Hollywood Foreign Press Association Fellowship
.
She attended the Talent Campus of the Berlin Film Festival in 2006, where her feature-length script, The White Room, was among the 15 projects chosen to participate in the Script Clinic.
Her thesis film Graceland was selected for the 59th Cannes Film Festival
's Cinefondation program. It was the first Thai short film selected for the Cannes Film Festival
. It was also featured at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival and many other festivals.
family and his male nurse from Isan
in the North of Thailand. The film is also a commentary on Thailand's class-based society
and the frailty of life. It premiered at the 2009 Pusan International Film Festival
, where it was in the New Currents competition and also opened the World Film Festival of Bangkok
. It made its European Premiere in the Tiger Awards competition at the International Film Festival Rotterdam
, and was among the three films in 15-title line-up that won the Tiger Award.
under Thailand's motion-picture rating system to be given the most-restrictive 20+ rating.
Thai people
The Thai people, or Siamese, are the main ethnic group of Thailand and are part of the larger Tai ethnolinguistic peoples found in Thailand and adjacent countries in Southeast Asia as well as southern China. Their language is the Thai language, which is classified as part of the Kradai family of...
independent
Independent film
An independent film, or indie film, is a professional film production resulting in a feature film that is produced mostly or completely outside of the major film studio system. In addition to being produced and distributed by independent entertainment companies, independent films are also produced...
film director
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
, screenwriter
Screenwriter
Screenwriters or scriptwriters or scenario writers are people who write/create the short or feature-length screenplays from which mass media such as films, television programs, Comics or video games are based.-Profession:...
and producer
Film producer
A film producer oversees and delivers a film project to all relevant parties while preserving the integrity, voice and vision of the film. They will also often take on some financial risk by using their own money, especially during the pre-production period, before a film is fully financed.The...
.
Early life
Anocha Suwichakornpong was born in Thailand 1976. She spent the 1990s living in EnglandEngland
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, where she attended universities and graduated with bachelor's and master's degrees. In 2006, she graduated from the MFA film program at Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
, where she was a recipient of Hollywood Foreign Press Association Fellowship
Hollywood Foreign Press Association
The Hollywood Foreign Press Association is an organization composed of working journalists who cover the United States film industry for a variety of outlets, including newspapers and magazines in Europe, Asia, Australia and Latin America. Today, the 90 members of the HFPA represent at least 55...
.
She attended the Talent Campus of the Berlin Film Festival in 2006, where her feature-length script, The White Room, was among the 15 projects chosen to participate in the Script Clinic.
Her thesis film Graceland was selected for the 59th Cannes Film Festival
2006 Cannes Film Festival
The 2006 Cannes Film Festival ran from May 17, 2006 to May 28, 2006. Twenty films from eleven countries were in competition for the Palme d'Or. The President of the Official Jury was Wong Kar-wai, the first Chinese director to preside over the jury....
's Cinefondation program. It was the first Thai short film selected for the Cannes Film Festival
Cannes Film Festival
The Cannes International Film Festival , is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films of all genres including documentaries from around the world. Founded in 1946, it is among the world's most prestigious and publicized film festivals...
. It was also featured at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival and many other festivals.
Mundane History
Anocha's debut feature was Mundane History (Jao nok krajok, เจ้านกกระจอก), a family drama about the friendship that develops between a young paralyzed man from a wealthy BangkokBangkok
Bangkok is the capital and largest urban area city in Thailand. It is known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon or simply Krung Thep , meaning "city of angels." The full name of Bangkok is Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahintharayutthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom...
family and his male nurse from Isan
Isan
Isan is the northeastern region of Thailand. It is located on the Khorat Plateau, bordered by the Mekong River to the north and east, by Cambodia to the southeast and the Prachinburi mountains south of Nakhon Ratchasima...
in the North of Thailand. The film is also a commentary on Thailand's class-based society
Social class
Social classes are economic or cultural arrangements of groups in society. Class is an essential object of analysis for sociologists, political scientists, economists, anthropologists and social historians. In the social sciences, social class is often discussed in terms of 'social stratification'...
and the frailty of life. It premiered at the 2009 Pusan International Film Festival
Pusan International Film Festival
Busan International Film Festival , held annually in Haeundae-gu, Busan , South Korea, is one of the most significant film festivals in Asia...
, where it was in the New Currents competition and also opened the World Film Festival of Bangkok
World Film Festival of Bangkok
The World Film Festival of Bangkok is an annual international film festival held between October & November in Bangkok, Thailand.The 8th Annual World Film Festival of Bangkok will be held between 5 - 14 November, 2010.-History:...
. It made its European Premiere in the Tiger Awards competition at the International Film Festival Rotterdam
International Film Festival Rotterdam
The International Film Festival Rotterdam is an annual film festival held in various cinemas in Rotterdam, Netherlands held at the end of January. It is approximately comparable in size to other major European festivals such as Cannes, Venice, Berlin, and Locarno...
, and was among the three films in 15-title line-up that won the Tiger Award.
Rating
Featuring a scene of full-frontal male nudity and masturbation, it was the first Thai filmCinema of Thailand
The cinema of Thailand dates back to the early days of filmmaking, when King Chulalongkorn's 1897 visit to Bern, Switzerland was recorded by Francois-Henri Lavancy-Clarke. The film was then brought to Bangkok, where it was exhibited...
under Thailand's motion-picture rating system to be given the most-restrictive 20+ rating.
Production
Made for $150,000, Mundane History was financed by the filmmaker's family and friends as well as grants and awards from the Hubert Bals Fund of the Rotterdam International Film Festival.By the Time it Gets Dark
In 2010, Anocha was planning her second feature, By the Time It Gets Dark, the script of which won her the Prince Claus Fund Film Grant of €15,000 from the CineMart of the Rotterdam International Film Festival.Filmography
- 747 (2001, short, co-dir)
- Days Like This (2002, short)
- Full Moon (2003, short)
- Not a New York Story (2004, short)
- Ghosts (2005, short)
- Graceland (2006, short)
- Like. Real. Love (ดุจ จิต ใจ) (2008, short)
- Mundane History (Jao nok krajok, เจ้านกกระจอก) (2009)
- By the Time It Gets Dark (in development)