Art Institute Alum Wins Top Prize at Cannes Film Festival

By Rob Christopher in Arts & Entertainment on May 24, 2010 2:40PM

Apichatpong Weerasethakul, who has an MFA from the School of the Art Institute, was awarded the Palme d'Or for his new film Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives. The Thai filmmaker is known by his friends as Joe, and it's hard to think of a more deserving auteur to take home such a prestigious honor. We've seen two of his previous films and they both amused and challenged us in delightful ways. After seeing Syndromes and a Century at the Chicago International Film Festival in 2006, we wrote, "It’s a languid, sensual wonder as refreshing as a long drink of ice-cold spring water."

Weerasethakul talks about his time in Chicago in an interview with the Hollywood Reporter:

Weerasethakul: I was there from 1994-1997 and, what can I say, it was the time that I was first exposed to different kinds of movies, especially experimental films. In the school, they really focus on American experimental films like those of Maya Deren. So, I'm pretty in to those. My impression of the U.S. is from these films. I'm pretty ignorant about the rest of the landscape.

THR: I can't imagine so different a place from the Northeast of Thailand as Chicago. Was it tough to live there?

Weerasethakul: At first, yes, I had to adapt quite a lot about my English and learn about seniority in a place where you can sense the equality. Honestly, I had to feel something about racism, too, being Asian.

Hopefully the film will swing through Chicago soon. The lush visual textures and intricate sound design favored by the filmmaker make big screen viewing of his movies a feats for the senses.

For more Cannes coverage with a local touch, check out Ben Kenigsberg's coverage for Time Out Chicago.