Anocha Suwichakornpong, a young filmmaker and producer with a major reputation in her country and far beyond, plays a key role in the movement of independent filmmakers in Thailand. She has made many short films and is presently completing her second feature. Coconut is her first and highly successful exploration of a new form of visual art for her: video installation. The installation comprises two videos screened on separate monitors. One is in front of the installation space, the other inside. The first video consists of tourist shots made in Burma at all of the well-known spots, including pictures of local people who practise traditional handicrafts as a tourist attraction. The second video shows the real handiwork: the harsh and dusty work in a factory where coconut husks are turned into fibre. The workers here are also Burmese, but the factory is in the Thai town of Bangsapan, not far from the border with Burma.
