Apichatpong Weerasethakul

Apichatpong Weerasethakul (born 1970) is a Thai filmmaker and installation artist raised in Khon Kaen, northeastern Thailand. He studied architecture before earning an MFA in filmmaking from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. In 1999 he co-founded Kick the Machine, working outside Thailand's studio system to blur documentary and fiction with non-professional actors and improvised dialogue. His films, including Tropical Malady and Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives, winner of the 2010 Palme d'Or, dwell on rural Thai spirituality, memory, and the border between the living and the dead. His 2021 film Memoria, shot in Colombia with Tilda Swinton, won the Cannes Jury Prize.