The Playlist

'Uncle Boonmee' Director Apichatpong Weerasethakul Prepping Next Film 'Cemetery Of Kings'

By Kevin Jagernauth
|
March 29, 2013 1:30 PM
|
3 Comments

News

It's coming on three years since filmmaker Apichatpong Weerasethakul bewitched audiences with his strange, cryptic and beautiful Palme d'Or-winning "Uncle Boonme Who Can Recall Past Lives." The movie became a critical darling, and as much as a movie can that features fish sex, it brought the director to a broader international audience. But the filmmaker hasn't been in a hurry to make a followup, and over the past couple of years has been focused on art installations and shorts (including the rather tepid "Mekong Hotel" which played Cannes last year), but it looks like he's now ready to tackle another feature.

More:

Watch: 'Uncle Boonme' Director Apichatpong Weerasethakul's Short Film 'Cactus River'

By Kevin Jagernauth
|
October 15, 2012 2:22 PM
|
0 Comments

News

While his next full length still seems to be a bit of a way off, director Apichatpong Weerasethakul -- best known for "Uncle Boonme Who Can Recall Past Lives," "Syndromes and a Century" and "Tropical Malady" -- continues to work at a feverish pace, delivering numerous shorts since his Palme d'Or win a couple of years back. In fact, he was back at Cannes earlier this year with "Mekong Hotel," which is still doing the festival rounds and now fans of the filmmaker have another work to take in.

More:

Apichatpong Weerasethakul's Next Film Seems Like Subtler, Stranger, Artier Cousin To 'Inception'

By Charlie Schmidlin
|
August 13, 2012 12:22 PM
|
4 Comments

News

Many filmmakers strive for their work to tap into a certain dream-like narrative, unbound by traditional logic and driven by subconscious desire, but while David Lynch and Christopher Nolan dazzle equally with their unique approaches, Thai director Apichatpong Weerasethakul (“Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives”) may best them both by adhering most to that elusive goal. His films are known for their tranquil, seemingly dissociative threads of imagery, which sometimes even threaten to isolate the viewer in the process, but recently the director has expressed other wishes for his particular brand of storytelling.

More:

First Images From Apichatpong Weerasethakul's 'Mekong Hotel'

By Simon Dang
|
May 10, 2012 8:41 AM
|
1 Comment

News

This time next week we'll be in the midst of the Cannes Film Festival, with plenty of questions set to be answered. One answer we're eager to hear is in reponse to one of the more intriguing parts of the lineup: the return of former Palme d'Or winner Apichatpong Weerasethakul with "Mekong Hotel."

More:

A Shape-Shifting Cinema: Apichatpong Weerasethakul Discusses His Entire Filmography

By Christopher Bell
|
May 22, 2011 3:37 AM
|
2 Comments

As part of the New Museum's exhibition of his latest installation project "Primitive" and his month-long residency, Thai filmmaker, visual artist and last year's Cannes Palme d'Or winner Apichatpong Weerasethakul held a four hour tour of his oeuvre (the museum hosts referring to it as a "master class"), beginning with his his more well-known feature work before revealing brief snippets of his installation-only short films (including those found in his current exhibit). He shared many personal tidbits in relation to each work, describing (though not too specifically) what he hoped to achieve with his camera and spicing up each presentation with a humorous aside here and there.

More:

Interview: Apichatpong Weerasethakul Wants To Work With Chiara Mastroianni & Joan Allen

By Christopher Bell
|
May 17, 2011 6:44 AM
|
5 Comments

Also Downplays Tilda Swinton Collaboration, Loves David Fincher But Not 'Social Network'With the latest season of Cannes coming close to an end, what better time than look back at last year's Golden Palm winner?

More:

Interview: Apichatpong Weerasethakul On 'Uncle Boonme,' Steven Spielberg, 'Inception' & More

By Christopher Bell
|
March 4, 2011 9:26 AM
|
5 Comments

Exclusive: Despite this writer’s undying love for the man and his films (actually, to be completely melodramatic and corny, “Syndromes and a Century” was a life changer), Apichatpong Weerasethakul’s work is not intended for mass audiences, and some of his pictures even leave the hardest cinephiles scratching their heads at the praise. That’s just how it is, not everyone's down for a 2+ hour experimental-narrative film from Thailand and there shouldn’t be any bitterness about it.

More:

Watch: Trailer For 'Uncle Boonme' Features Ghosts, Human/Catfish Sex, Red Eyed Creatures & More

By Kevin Jagernauth
|
February 16, 2011 5:54 AM
|
3 Comments

Apichatpong Weerasethakul's Cannes Palme d'Or winner "Uncle Boonme Who Can Recall His Past Lives" is a tough sell, even for those who consider themselves arthouse nerds, so kudos to Strand Releasing for trying. With the film set to hit theaters this spring, a trailer has now arrived following the badass poster by Chris Ware, and it plays like a greatest hits of every bit of freakiness in the film.

More:

'Uncle Boonme' Director Apichatpong Weerasethakul Lining Up 'Mekong Hotel'; Tilda Swinton To Star?

By Simon Dang
|
February 16, 2011 3:08 AM
|
1 Comment

Last year's Palme D'Or winner Apichatpong Weerasethakul is reportedly lining up his follow up to his Cannes-prize-winning "Uncle Boonme Who Can Recall His Past Lives" with a project simply known as "Mekong Hotel."

More:

Take A Look At Chris Ware's Gorgeous Poster For 'Uncle Boonme Who Can Recall Past Lives'

By Kevin Jagernauth
|
February 8, 2011 7:09 AM
|
1 Comment

How do you get audiences interested in a fascinating, dizzying, dense, impenetrable, funny, dry, strange just plain weird arthouse flick? Get famed comic book artist and cartoonist Chris Ware to design a mind-bogglingly beautiful poster for it.

More: