Apichatpong Weerasethakul
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| Born: | July 16, 1970 Bangkok, Thailand |
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| Occupation: | Film director, producer, screenwriter |
| Website: | www.kickthemachine.com |
Apichatpong Weerasethakul (Thai: อภิชาติพงศ์ วีระเศรษฐกุล, born July 16, 1970 in Bangkok, Thailand) is a Thai independent film director, screenwriter and film producer. His feature films include Tropical Malady, which won a jury prize at the 2004 Cannes Film Festival, Blissfully Yours, which won the top prize in the Un Certain Regard program at the 2003 Cannes Film Festival, and Syndromes and a Century, which premiered at the 63rd Venice Film Festival and was the first Thai film to be entered in competition there.
Working outside the strict confines of the Thai film studio system, Apichatpong Weerasethakul has directed several features and dozens of short films. Themes reflected in his films (frequently discussed in interviews) include dreams, nature, sexuality (including his own homosexuality)[1], Western perceptions of Thailand and Asia, and his films display a preference for unconventional narrative structures (like placing titles/credits at the middle of a film) and for working with non-actors. Cinephiles affectionately refer to him as "Joe" (a nickname that he, like many Thais with similarly long names, has adopted out of convenience).
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[edit] Biography
[edit] Early career
Apichatpong Weerasethkul's parents were both physicians, and worked in a hospital in Khon Kaen, Thailand. [2] He attended Khon Kaen University and received a bachelor's degree in architecture in 1994. He made his first short film, Bullet, in 1993. He attended the Art Institute of Chicago and received a master's degree in fine arts in filmmaking in 1997.
His feature-length debut, Dokfa nai meuman (Mysterious Object at Noon) blends documentary footage and improvised narrative, and was conceptually based upon the exquisite corpse game invented by surrealists.
[edit] International festivals
His 2002 feature Sud Sanaeha (Blissfully Yours) won the Un Certain Regard prize at the Cannes Film Festival. His 2004 Sud Pralad (Tropical Malady) won a Jury Prize from the same festival.
Between Blissfully Yours and Tropical Malady, Apichatpong co-directed The Adventure of Iron Pussy with artist Michael Shaowanasai, who starred as the main character, a transvestite secret agent. The low-budget, digital movie was a spoof of Thai films of the 1960s and '70s, particularly the musicals and action films of Mitr Chaibancha and Petchara Chaowarat. It was screened at the Berlin Film Festival. Pop singer Krissada Terrence, better known as Noi from Pru, portrayed the male lead.
Along with his features, Apichatpong is known for his short films, videoworks and installations. For the Jeonju International Film Festival he was commissioned in the Three Digital Short Films project, which he shared with two other Asian directors. His film was called Worldly Desires. Shinya Tsukamoto from Japan made Haze and Song Il-gon from South Korea created Magician(s).
Through his company, Kick the Machine, which he founded in 1999, he promotes other independent filmmakers and experimental film works.
[edit] Recent works
In 2005, Apichatpong served as the consultant on the Tsunami Digital Short Films, 13 films commissioned by the Thailand Culture Ministry's Office of Contemporary Art and Culture as a memorial tribute to the 2004 Indian Ocean Earthquake and the resulting tsunami that struck Thailand. His film was called Ghost of Asia.
The Office of Contemporary Art and Culture also honoured Apichatpong with its 2005 Silpathorn Award for Filmmaking. The award, which goes each year to several artists in various disciplines, is given to living contemporary artists.
Apichatpong's latest project is a feature film, Syndromes and a Century, which is being made as part of the New Crowned Hope Festival to celebrate the 250th anniversary of Mozart's birth. It premiered at the 63rd Venice Film Festival and screened at the 2006 Toronto International Film Festival and other festivals.
He is also developing Utopia, a co-production with DViant Films of Los Angeles. It is to be a fantasy about a prehistoric man living in a jungle where there are periodic snowstorms. He presented his project at the 2006 Hong Kong Film Financing Forum and the Atelier section of the 2006 Cannes Film Festival.[3]
[edit] Filmography
[edit] Feature films
- Mysterious Object at Noon (Dokfa nai meuman), (2000)
- Blissfully Yours (Sud sanaeha) (2002)
- The Adventure of Iron Pussy (Hua jai tor ra nong), co-director (2003)
- Tropical Malady (Sud pralad) (2004)
- Syndromes and a Century (Sang sattawat) (2006)
- Utopia (in development, scheduled for 2007)
[edit] Short films and installations
- Bullet (1993)
- 0116643225059 (1994)
- Kitchen and Bedroom (1994)
- Like the Relentless Fury of the Pounding Waves (1996)
- Rice Artist Michael Shaowanasai's Performance (1996)
- 100 Years of Thai Cinema (1997)
- thirdworld (1998)
- The Lungara Eating Jell-O (1998)
- Windows (1999)
- Malee and the Boy (1999)
- Boys at Noon (2000)
- Boys at Noon/Girls at Night (2000)
- Haunted Houses Project: Thailand (2001)
- Secret Love Affair (for Tirana) (2001)
- Masumi Is a PC Operator (2001)
- Fumiyo Is a Designer (2001)
- I Was Sketching (2001)
- Swan's Blood (2001)
- Second Love in Hong Kong, co-director (2002)
- Golden Ship (2002)
- This and Million More Lights (2003)
- Tong (2004)
- Love Song (2004)
- Tone (2004)
- It Is Possible That Only Your Heart Is Not Enough to Find You a True Love (2004)
- Worldly Desires (for Jeonju International Film Festival, 2004)
- Ghost of Asia, co-director (for Tsunami Digital Short Films project, 2005)
- Faith (2006)
- The Anthem (2006)
[edit] References
- "A Conversation with Apichatpong Weerasethakul" by Thunska Pansittivorakul, Criticine, May 19, 2006.
- Chaiworaporn, Anchalee (April 2006). "A Perceiver of Sense." 11th Hong Kong Independent Short Film & Video Awards.
[edit] Notes
- ^ "Creating His Own Language: An Interview With Apichatpong Weerasethakul", Romers, H. Cineaste, page 34, vol. 30, no. 4, Fall 2005, New York
- ^ Rithdee, Kong (July 28, 2006). Everything is illuminated, Bangkok Post (retrieved July 28, 2006).
- ^ "Project 24" (PDF), Hong Kong Filmart. Retrieved February 16, 2006.
