Thai director wins Cannes' coveted top prize

Thai director Apichatpong Weerasethakul has won top prize at the Cannes Film Festival, his “Lung Boonmee Raluek Chat" (Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives) receiving the prestigious Palme d'Or.

"This is like another world for me... this is surreal," Apichatpong said to the festival hall while receiving the Palme d'Or from American filmmaker Tim Burton, head of the festival jury.

“Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives” is a hypnotic tale, inspired by a book written by a Buddhist monk in the town of Khon Kaen, where the Bangkok-born filmmaker grew up, and is about a man who believes in reincarnation. (Click here to see the official trailer.)

Shot like an old home movie on Super 16mm in locations throughout Northeast Thailand, it weaves together a dying man’s memories with reflections on movies of the past and the changing face of rural Thailand. It’s part of the director’s multi-platform 'Primitive' art project that explores memories of a brutal anti-communist crackdown in 1964 in the northeastern village of Nabua, Nakhon Phanom, which is mostly explored in a massive seven-channel video installation that’s so far been exhibited in Munich, Liverpool and Paris.

It’s the first time Apichatpong has won the Palme d’Or, and his fifth overall appearance on the Croisette. In 2004 his “Tropical Malady” (Sud Pralad) won a jury prize from a panel chaired by Quentin Tarantino. In 2008 he served as a judge on the main competition panel that was headed by Sean Penn.

Last week, Apichatpong hit headlines in Bangkok for his strong attack on Thai censorship at a Cannes press conference: "You cannot blame Thai filmmakers for a dying cinema industry in Thailand. They cannot do anything because of these censorship laws. We cannot make a movie on the current situation, due to laws that ban threats to national security. Anything can be thrown into that."

The film-maker, who flew to Cannes during last week's violence in Bangkok, sent a message to Thailand while accepting the Palme d’Or: "This award is for you."

“Uncle Boonme” is one of 12 Thai films that have shown at Cannes. Click here for the full list. In 2009, CNNGo picked Apichatpong as one of our "20 Bangkok people to watch". For more on the director's latest win, visit Thai film enthusiast Wise Kwai’s blog.