Q&A: Thai filmmaker on the limits and possibilities of cinema

2025 saw a rise in self-aware filmmaking, with movies like “Sentimental Value,” “Jay Kelly,” and “Nouvelle Vague” offering reflections on the film industry itself. Now, the work of Thai filmmaker Anocha Suwichakornpong is returning to screens this month, offering another layer to this trend.

A Filmmaker Focused on the Act of Filmmaking

Anocha Suwichakornpong intentionally reminds audiences they are watching a film. “I always want the audience to know that they’re watching a film,” she stated. Her 2016 feature, “By the Time It Gets Dark,” depicts the 1976 massacre of Thai student activists at Thammasat University in Bangkok, but quickly reveals itself as a recreation – actors performing a scene directed with a specific vision.

Did You Know? “By the Time It Gets Dark” centers around the 1976 massacre of Thai student activists at Thammasat University in Bangkok.

Currently at the Berlin International Film Festival premiering her latest film, “Narrative,” Suwichakornpong discussed her approach to independent filmmaking.

Blending Fiction and Reality

Suwichakornpong doesn’t strongly differentiate between fiction and reality in her work. While filming “Mundane History,” she incorporated footage of an ongoing protest in Bangkok, believing it connected to the film’s themes of social unrest and Thailand’s political climate. She also described an ethical consideration during the filming of “By the Time It Gets Dark,” leading her to include a significant scene featuring a tobacco farm.

Her process allows for flexibility, with ample time for improvisation and spontaneous moments during filming. Editing, she explained, is also a form of rewriting, sometimes requiring the removal of scripted material to accommodate unexpected footage.

Exploring Cinema Itself

Suwichakornpong frequently includes filmmakers as characters and references the filmmaking process within her films. She is acutely aware of film as a constructed and manipulated medium, and actively avoids total audience immersion. She aims for a distance, encouraging viewers to consider their interpretation of the film beyond the cinema experience.

Expert Insight: Suwichakornpong’s deliberate disruption of the traditional cinematic experience—by reminding the audience they are *watching* a film—is a powerful technique. It shifts the focus from passive consumption to active interpretation, forcing viewers to engage with the constructed nature of reality presented on screen.

She believes cinema uniquely challenges authoritarianism by leaving room for questions and ongoing exploration of its possibilities and limits.

Frequently Asked Questions

How does Suwichakornpong approach the blurring of fiction and reality?

She doesn’t strongly distinguish between the two, often incorporating real-world events or locations into her scripted films, like including footage of a Bangkok protest in “Mundane History” and a tobacco farm scene in “By the Time It Gets Dark.”

Where can audiences see Suwichakornpong’s films?

A series titled “Politics of Time: The Films of Anocha Suwichakornpong” begins screening at the Metrograph in New York City on February 21 and continues until March 1. Tickets are available here.

What is Suwichakornpong’s view on the role of cinema?

She believes cinema is an art form that can challenge authoritarianism and create a space for people to come together, even if initially virtual, potentially developing into something concrete.

Given Suwichakornpong’s focus on the construction of film and her willingness to incorporate unexpected elements, how might her latest film, “Narrative,” further challenge conventional storytelling?