Apichatpong Weerasethakul is a Thai independent film director, screenwriter, and film producer. His feature films include Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives, winner of the prestigious 2010 Cannes Film Festival Palme d’Or prize; 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 2002 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, 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), and 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.
Cannes Film Festival
Jury Prize
Known For
Memoria
(2021)
Director
Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives
(2010)
Director
Cemetery of Splendor
(2015)
Director
Syndromes and a Century
(2006)
Director
Full Filmography
Directing
Bullet
(1993)
Director
Like the Relentless Fury of the Pounding Waves
(1994)
Director
0116643225059
(1994)
Director
Windows
(1999)
Director
Malee and the Boy
(1999)
Director
Thirdworld
(1999)
Director
Mysterious Object at Noon
(2000)
Director
Boys at Noon
(2000)
Director
Father
(2001)
Director
Haunted Houses
(2001)
Director
Blissfully Yours
(2002)
Director
Nokia Short
(2003)
Director
This and a Million More Lights
(2003)
Director
TON
(2004)
Director
Tropical Malady
(2004)
Director
The Adventures of Iron Pussy
(2004)
Director
Ghost of Asia
(2005)
Director
Worldly Desires
(2005)
Director
The Anthem
(2006)
Director
Syndromes and a Century
(2006)
Director
Emerald
(2007)
Director
Luminous People
(2007)
Director
Meteorites
(2007)
Director
The State of the World
(2007)
Director
My Mother’s Garden
(2007)
Director
Teem
(2007)
Director
Stories on Human Rights
(2008)
Director
Vampire
(2008)
Director
The Palace (Pipittan Tee Taipei)
(2008)
Director
Prosperity for 2008
(2008)
Director
Mobile Men
(2008)
Director
I'm Still Breathing
(2009)
Director
Nabua Song
(2009)
Director
Primitive
(2009)
Director
Haiku
(2009)
Director
A Letter to Uncle Boonmee
(2009)
Director
Phantoms of Nabua
(2009)
Director
An Evening Shoot
(2009)
Director
Empire
(2010)
Director
Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives
(2010)
Director
Quattro Hong Kong 2
(2011)
Director
Trailer for CinDi
(2011)
Director
M Hotel
(2011)
Director
Monsoon
(2011)
Director
3.11 A Sense of Home
(2011)
Director
20 Little Films
(2012)
Director
Sakda (Rousseau)
(2012)
Director
Cactus River
(2012)
Director
Mekong Hotel
(2012)
Director
Ashes
(2012)
Director
La Punta
(2013)
Director
Venice 70: Future Reloaded
(2013)
Director
Dilbar
(2013)
Director
Blue Propeller
(2013)
Director
One Water
(2013)
Director
Short Plays
(2014)
Director
Footprints
(2014)
Director
Fireworks (Archives)
(2014)
Director
Fireworks Sketch
(2014)
Director
For Monkeys Only
(2014)
Director
Father
(2014)
Director
Fever Room
(2015)
Director
Vapour
(2015)
Director
Rolling
(2015)
Director
Cemetery of Splendor
(2015)
Director
Ablaze
(2016)
Director
Invisibility
(2016)
Director
Art Through Our Eyes
(2016)
Director
Fan Dog
(2016)
Director
async - first light
(2017)
Director
Memoria, Boy at Sea
(2017)
Director
Blue
(2018)
Director
Ten Years Thailand
(2018)
Director
Fiction
(2018)
Director
Jenjira, Brother Triam
(2018)
Director
Home
(2018)
Director
Strands
(2019)
Director
30/30 Vision: Three Decades of Strand Releasing
(2019)
Director
2019
(2019)
Director
Flowers & Banana Wind
(2020)
Director
Cinetracts '20
(2020)
Director
October Rumbles
(2020)
Director
2020
(2020)
Director
Decameron
(2020)
Director
Memoria
(2021)
Director
Night Colonies
(2021)
Director
The Year of the Everlasting Storm
(2021)
Director
On Blue
(2022)
Director
Durmiente
(2022)
Director
For Bruce
(2022)
Director
A Conversation with the Sun (Installation)
(2022)
Director
Acting
Circulation
(1998)
Runner
Thirdworld
(1999)
Behind the Blur
(2009)
Tony Rayns, the Not-So-Distant Observer
(2012)
Himself
Mekong Hotel
(2012)
Self
Past Present
(2013)
Self
Flowers of Taipei: Taiwan New Cinema
(2014)
Self
Apichatpong Weerasethakul Solo Exhibition - PHOTOPHOBIA
(2014)
Self
The Legend of the Palme d'Or
(2015)
Self
Cinema Futures
(2016)
Self
Wiara
(2018)
Himself
A.W. A Portrait of Apichatpong Weerasethakul
(2018)
Himself
Uncertain Path
(2021)
Camera
0116643225059
(1994)
Camera Operator
Like the Relentless Fury of the Pounding Waves
(1994)
Camera Operator
Malee and the Boy
(1999)
Camera Operator
Thirdworld
(1999)
Camera Operator
Windows
(1999)
Camera Operator
Mysterious Object at Noon
(2000)
Camera Operator and Director of Photography
Haunted Houses
(2001)
Camera Operator
This and a Million More Lights
(2003)
Camera Operator
Nokia Short
(2003)
Camera Operator
Ghost of Asia
(2005)
Camera Operator
Worldly Desires
(2005)
Camera Operator
Emerald
(2007)
Camera Operator
My Mother’s Garden
(2007)
Camera Operator
Mobile Men
(2008)
Camera Operator
Cactus River
(2012)
Camera Operator
Fireworks (Archives)
(2014)
Camera Operator
Editing
0116643225059
(1994)
Editor
Like the Relentless Fury of the Pounding Waves
(1994)
Editor
Malee and the Boy
(1999)
Editor
Windows
(1999)
Editor
Thirdworld
(1999)
Editor
Mysterious Object at Noon
(2000)
Editor
Haunted Houses
(2001)
Editor
Nokia Short
(2003)
Editor
This and a Million More Lights
(2003)
Editor
Ghost of Asia
(2005)
Editor
Worldly Desires
(2005)
Editor
Emerald
(2007)
Editor
Meteorites
(2007)
Editor
My Mother’s Garden
(2007)
Editor
Mobile Men
(2008)
Editor
A Letter to Uncle Boonmee
(2009)
Editor
Monsoon
(2011)
Editor
Cactus River
(2012)
Editor
Fireworks (Archives)
(2014)
Editor
Vapour
(2015)
Editor
Blue
(2018)
Editor
Ten Years Thailand
(2018)
Editor
Writing
Mysterious Object at Noon
(2000)
Writer
Blissfully Yours
(2002)
Writer
I-San Special
(2002)
Idea
The Adventures of Iron Pussy
(2004)
Writer
Tropical Malady
(2004)
Screenplay
Ghost of Asia
(2005)
Idea
Syndromes and a Century
(2006)
Writer
Vampire
(2008)
Writer
A Letter to Uncle Boonmee
(2009)
Screenplay
Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives
(2010)
Writer
Monsoon
(2011)
Idea
Ashes
(2012)
Writer
Mekong Hotel
(2012)
Writer
Cemetery of Splendor
(2015)
Writer
Vapour
(2015)
Writer
Rolling
(2015)
Writer
Invisibility
(2016)
Writer
Ten Years Thailand
(2018)
Screenplay
Memoria
(2021)
Writer
Production
Syndromes and a Century
(2006)
Producer
Emerald
(2007)
Producer
Diseases and a Hundred Year Period
(2008)
Producer
Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives
(2010)
Producer
Reincarnate
(2010)
Producer
Concrete Clouds
(2013)
Producer
Cemetery of Splendor
(2015)
Producer
Railway Sleepers
(2017)
Producer
Memoria
(2021)
Producer
Nitrate: To the Ghosts of the 75 Lost Philippine Silent Films (1912-1933)
(2023)
Producer
Crew