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Wednesday, July 21 at 1930
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Monday, July 26 at 0800 He's a filmmaker who is not afraid of tackling sensitive issues or upsetting Thai censors. And even though some critics are puzzled by his work, he's no stranger to the red carpet. This year his latest film Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives won over the judges at the Cannes Film Festival, making him the first ever Thai director ever to be awarded the prestigious Palme d'Or. Apichatpong ‘Joe' Weerasethakul talks to CNN's Talk Asia in Bangkok about his joy on winning the globally-coveted prize and what inspired his unusual film. The 39-year old also shares with host Anjali Rao his thoughts on government censorship which has prevented some of his films from being shown in his native country. The Palme d'Or win meant his was only the sixth Asian film to win the top prize in seven decades of the Festival. It was the first since 1997 when Japanese filmmaker Shohei Imamura shared it with Iranian director Abbas Kiarostami. The softly-spoken Apichatpong describes his disbelief at the announcement: "It was surreal. The festival told you in advance to come to the closing ceremony because you got an award but they didn't tell you what. I was so anxious because it happened before that they made a mistake when they invited someone who didn't get a prize, so when the film was announced I was overjoyed because we worked so hard for this film." The unusual concept behind the movie clearly struck a chord with the jury, particularly Chairman Tim Burton who described it as one of the most unforgettable films he had seen. Apichatpong believes that it is the universal topic of death which resonates with international audiences. "The fear of death is very long. We all want a peaceful death but we're all afraid of dying. The movie talks about that and about our human traits of this fear. It relates to people in different angles, different levels and for me, that's successful for filmmaker." Before Uncle Boonmee, the director also tasted success at Cannes with Tropical Malady winning a jury prize in 2004 and Blissfully Yours grabbing a top award in 2002. Yet despite national pride at his success, screenings of Apichatpong's movies were restricted in Thailand due to their sensitive content. He subsequently organised the "Free Thai Cinema Movement" to oppose censorship and voices his opinion on what the government says is in place: "It's a section that is called "Cultural Watchdog". It is established to curb something that they think is immoral. It's a very backward thinking. This sector looks at my films in a very negative way. They treat the public as children. I don't know what's wrong with them," says Apichatpong. Born into a family of physicians, the Thai director also tells Anjali about his childhood and how growing up amongst doctors influenced his movie-making. "As a kid, I remember when I walked to see my mum every lunch time... When I reflect back, now I start to think about death and about the importance of growing up in such a place, to play near a place where they put dead bodies in. It is like you grow up in a cycle of life. That's why I put a lot of these elements in my work." Apichatpong's interview with TALK ASIA will be available online at www.cnn.com/talkasia after the first airing. For more information, please visit www.CNNPressroomAsia.com. Related links:
Talk Asia official site
Talk Asia Facebook page |
