Apichatpong Weerasethakul

Apichatpong Weerasethakul
อภิชาติพงศ์ วีระเศรษฐกุล
Apichatpong Weerasethakul in 2019
Born (1970-07-16) 16 July 1970 (age 54)[1]
Bangkok, Thailand
Other names
  • Joe
  • Jei (เจ้ย)
Education
Occupations
Years active1993–present
WebsiteOfficial website

Apichatpong Weerasethakul[a] (Thai: อภิชาติพงศ์ วีระเศรษฐกุล; RTGS: Aphichatphong Wirasetthakun; IPA: [ʔà.pʰí.tɕʰâːt.pʰōŋ wīː.rá.sèːt.tʰà.kūn],[2] born 16 July 1970) is a Thai independent film director, screenwriter, film producer and Professor at Tama Art University in Tokyo. Working outside the strict confines of the Thai film studio system, Apichatpong has directed several features and dozens of short films. Friends and fans sometimes refer to him as "Joe" (a nickname that he, like many with similarly long Thai names, has adopted out of convenience).[3]

His feature films include Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives, winner of the 2010 Cannes Film Festival Palme d'Or; Tropical Malady, which won the Jury Prize at the 2004 Cannes Film Festival; Blissfully Yours, which won the top prize in the Un Certain Regard program at the 2002 Cannes Film Festival;[4] Syndromes and a Century, which premiered at the 63rd Venice International Film Festival and was the first Thai film to be entered in competition there; and Cemetery of Splendour, which premiered in the Un Certain Regard section of the 2015 Cannes Film Festival to critical acclaim.[5] Apichatpong has received numerous additional accolades, including the 2016 Principal Prince Claus Award and the eighth edition of the Artes Mundi Prize.[6] His first English-language film was Memoria, a 2021 international collaboration set in Colombia.

Themes reflected in his films include dreams, nature, sexuality (including his own homosexuality),[7] and Western perceptions of Thailand and Asia, and his films display a preference for unconventional narrative structures and for working with non-actors.

Apichatpong has also widely exhibited in galleries, including FACT in Liverpool, and the BFI Gallery in London, the contemporary art space within BFI Southbank.[8]

  1. ^ Lau, Theodore (2022). "Apichatpong Weerasethakul". moma.org. Museum of Modern Art. Retrieved 20 April 2023.
  2. ^ "อภิชาติพงศ์ วีระเศรษฐกุล pronunciation in Thai". Forvo. Retrieved 19 July 2021.
  3. ^ "The Metaphysical World of Apichatpong Weerasethakul's Movies". The New Yorker. 7 January 2022. Retrieved 27 March 2022.
  4. ^ "Festival de Cannes: Blissfully Yours". festival-cannes.com. Archived from the original on 8 February 2012.
  5. ^ Chang, Justin (18 May 2015). "Cannes Film Review: 'Cemetery of Splendor'". Variety.
  6. ^ "Apichatpong Weerasethakul, Winner of Artes Mundi 8". Artes Mundi. 25 January 2019. Archived from the original on 30 January 2019.
  7. ^ "Creating His Own Language: An Interview With Apichatpong Weerasethakul", Romers, H. Cineaste, page 34, vol. 30, no. 4, Fall 2005, New York
  8. ^ Fabrizi, Elisabetta, 'The BFI Gallery Book', BFI, London, 2011


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