Apichatpong Weerasethakul



Films


Biography

Apichatpong Weerasethakul is a singular and distinctive artist and filmmaker. All his films and artworks are set in his native Thailand. Often non-linear, and with a strong sense of dislocation, his works deal with memory, subtly addressing personal politics and social issues. Working independently of the Thai commercial film industry, he is active in promoting experimental and independent filmmaking through his company Kick the Machine.

His films have received numerous awards, including two prizes from the Cannes Film Festival. His feature Syndromes and a Century (2006) was the first Thai film to be selected for competition at the Venice Film Festival. Alongside his other feature Tropical Malady, Syndromes and a Century has been found at the top of several polls as among the best films of the last decade.

His video installations and other works have attracted great acclaim at major international exhibitions such as the Istanbul Biennial, the Taipei Biennial, and the Busan Biennale.

In 2007, the Thai Ministry of Culture awarded Apichatpong with one of Thailand’s most important awards for visual artists, Silpatorn. In 2008, he became the first artist to receive the Fine Prize from the 55th Carnegie International, USA. In 2010, he was awarded the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival for Uncle Boonmee who can Recall his Past Lives and was nominated for one of the art world’s most prestigious awards, the Hugo Boss Award.


Filmography

Selected Shorts:
Phantoms of Nabua, 2009
A Letter to Uncle Boonmee, 2009
Mobile Men, 2008
Vampire, 2008
Emerald, 2007
Luminous People, 2007
The Anthem, 2006
Worldly Desires, 2005
Ghost of Asia, in collaboration with Christelle Lheureux, 2005
This and a Million More Lights, 2003
Second Love in Hong Kong, in collaboration with Christelle Lheureux, 2002
Haunted Houses, 2001

Feature Films:
Syndromes and a Century / Sang Sattawat, 2006
Tropical Malady / Sud Pralad, 2004
The Adventure of Iron Pussy / Huajai Toranong, 2003
Blissfully Yours / Sud Sanaeha, 2002
Mysterious Object at Noon / Dokfar Nai Meu Marn, 2000


Prizes

A Letter to Uncle Boonmee:
The Memory and Magic Jury Award, Ann Arbor Film Festival, USA, 2010
Best Film, Prize of the Jury of the Pernambuco Association of Filmmakers, Janela Internacional de Cinema do Recife, Brasil, 2009
Prize of the Jury of the Minister President of North Rhine-Westphalia, 55th International Short Film Festival Oberhausen, Germany, 2009
Grand Prize of the City of Oberhausen, 55th International Short Film Festival Oberhausen, Germany, 2009

Phantoms of Nabua:
Asia Art Award 2010, Seoul, Korea