Apichatpong Weerasethakul Interview

It is hard to measure such things conclusively but you can make a pretty good argument that Thailand's Apichatpong Weerasethakul is one of the most under-appreciated film makers on the planet. Despite having a pair of his films - Tropical Malady and Blissfully Yours - pick up major awards at Cannes and festivals around the world Weerasethakul is virtually unknown outside of critical circles.

After coming across the website for his independent production company Kick the Machine last week I dropped the man a note and he quickly agreed to an interview via email. Read on for his thoughts on the Thai film industry, his film making process, and some hints on what he's got coming next ...

Most of our readers will be unfamiliar with you, or will only know Tropical Malady. Can you describe your background a little? I know you studied in Chicago ...

I was from a small town in the northeast of Thailand. I studied Architecture and then went to Chicago Art Institute for filmmaking.

You've worked exclusively in Thailand, but exclusively outside of the studio system there: was this a deliberate choice or something you have been forced into? Have you considered working elsewhere?

At the moment, I am working with a studio and also independently. The Thai film industry has grown quite fast in the past five years. They are more accepting in different kinds of film. When I started my first feature, it was totally different scene and attitude. There was no independent film.

Thai film seems to be in the midst of a major surge right now. Is this true from your perspective or is this something that has been under way for a long time with the rest of the world only noticing recently? Who would you consider the major Thai talents to watch for?

With the rise of digital video, now there are a lot of young filmmakers. Their works are much more interesting than the studio products. The camera and editing station is cheaper. It is a new super-8. But still, the education system in Thailand is quite conservative. With the current government Thailand has been moving towards more a conservative and patriotic society. So in a good way that it generates the atmosphere of doubts among the young people. Some of the best works resulted from feeling oppressed intellectually. So the young underground is the one to hope for. The studio product is something to enjoy, but it is not so exciting at the moment.

There also seem to be some major contradictions built into the Thai industry ... how is it that a film like Tropical Malady can have a hard time at home while films about trans-sexual boxers and cross dressing volleyball teams do big business?

Tropical Malady actually did quite well here. It was not a box office hit because we screened in three cinemas. When you do personal films here, it is important to make it small scale and think about both local and international market combined. It is just a fact, if you do this kind of film in the States you also have to survive by releasing your film in other countries. Film is an expensive medium so your agenda should be clear. For instance, I am trying to produce one film for a local market. There are more factors to consider. And it is a headache. But I have a good time with this new experience.

In an interview on the US Last Life in the Universe DVD Pen-Ek mentions that he feels that he is treated as an outsider and briefly mentions you as someone in a similar circumstance. It's strange to hear because both of your films seem so obviously Thai and obviously respectful of your roots and culture. Do you feel the same way as Pen-Ek? What is it that sets you apart? Is it as simple as the fact that you're both US educated?

The situation is getting better now. Before it was like he said, about being treated like an outsider. Pen-Ek was actually a successful commercial director, so I don’t know why he felt that way. I don’t think the US education has anything to do with our differences. There are plenty of foreign-graduated directors here. The obvious thing for us two is that we made films out of studio system.

I've not had the chance to see it but I understand that your first film was a fairly unusual documentary. Can you describe it? How has that film affected your later narrative films?

It was an experimental documentary and fiction called Mysterious Object at Noon. We traveled along the country and asked people to continue a fictional story, like a game. Then we shot that fiction with non-professional actors. The structure was very free and improvised. I liked to get the spontaneity from the cast and crew. And also to express my affection to the landscapes.

One of the things I love about Tropical Malady is how the second half of the film re-interprets the first half. Can you describe the process of putting those very different stories together? What linked them in your mind?

The process came quite naturally. I like the idea of man vs. nature, present vs. past (memories). Since my short films, the dual structure is appealing to me that I somehow wonder if this is my weakness – always thinking about two films in one.

I've just realized that every one of your films is set in the jungle or in remote villages. Is that a conscious choice? What's the attraction to isolation?

I grew up in a small town, like I tried to present in Tropical Malady’s town. I have just worked in Bangkok for 7 years so I don’t feel familiar with it yet. And small towns have been changing so fast these days. I am trying to capture the change, the old and the new. And Bangkok is very noisy. I like quiet places.

People who only know you through Tropical Malady and Blissfully Yours will be in for a surprise with Iron Pussy. Can you describe how that came about and your relationship with the star / co-director? Will there be any more Iron Pussy films?

People who are familiar with all my works (short videos and films) were not so surprised. They actually expected it!. The film was made during Tropical Malady. It was a big break from such a serious film. I think the film as a performance – to force myself and the crew to work as the old Thai studio film, to work nonstop and don’t analyze. Like in the old days, they make many films per month.

We were very excited here when we saw the talent involved in the short film anthology you were part of for the Jeonju Film Festival. How did you get involved in that? Was there any interaction between you, Song Il Gon and Shinya Tsukamoto?

Our three shorts are separate. There was no theme or any restriction. So the three films are so different. Mine is a documentary, another performance in fact. I invited a filmmaker friend to make an imaginary film in the jungle for 4 days. We rented 35mm camera and lighting and shot it with a real filmstock. But we didn’t process it. The camera persons and the lightings didn’t know this fact. I made a video documentary about this filmmaking thing.

Song Il Gon has already said he plans to expand his part of the anthology and release it as a feature, do you have any similar plans?

No, my film is different. It is simply a documentation of that performance, shooting in the jungle. It is finished.

As far as I know Tropical Malady and Iron Pussy are the only of your films currently available anywhere in the world uncut with english subtitles and both need to be imported from Thailand. Are there plans to make your work more widely available? Any chance of your short films being bundled and released?

As for the shorts, many of them are for installations, so it is not going to be bundled. Mysterious Object at Noon is already available. We are talking about releasing Blissfully Yours on dvd.

I saw on your website that you have done some art installations. Are those purely film based or do you work in other mediums as well?

Mostly video based. They are my sketches, extensions of interests, or film sketches. I also work with sound pieces.

Can you tell me anything about your new film? What's it about, how far in to the process are you, etc? When do you expect to have it finished?

It is still in a scripting process. It is to celebrate the birth of Mozart, 250th Anniversary. We hope to complete it in the end of 2006.