Visionary filmmaker Apichatpong Weerasethakul talks 'Cemetery of Splendour'

Apichatpong Weerasetkaul is recognised as one of the most innovative and daring filmmakers in contemporary cinema, exploring themes such as nature, homosexuality and existentialism. His list of commendable films have been hits among the festival front including Syndromes and a Century (2006), Blissfully Yours (2002) and Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives (2010) which received the Palme d'Or at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival.

Weerasetkaul now introduces his latest achievement, Cemetery of Splendour which explores the lives of various war veterans who return to a small town in North Thailand with a mysterious sleeping illness. The film screened as part of the Un Certain Regard selection at Cannes last year, as well as the 59th BFI London Film Festival.

I spoke with Weerasetkaul about his latest film, his influence within cinema and what Thailand means to him.

How did the idea for this film first come about?

It’s been a few years now where I have been interested in the idea of sleeping: I worked with teenagers in this small town and they are always getting drunk in the evening and because the place is very poor many left for the big cities – this is a way to escape and find another reality – it accumulated the idea of sleep and cinema. With the political situation in Thailand, it keeps the repeating the obituary control that I myself would escape – sleeping became a bigger theme. My films are semi-autobiographical; not in a diary-way but in feelings – this film is how I feel at this present time. I’m really interested in science and I like meditating so, to me, it’s all related – reincarnation is part of the brain, if we reincarnate our thinking is always constant.Something that is close to me, the fear of losing life and losing these things around me and the fear of losing memory is what inspires me.

How much research was involved before writing the script?

I researched the cycle of sleep, mechanism of the brain and how memory works and a few translated: the film is vaguer, we don’t know what happened to these guys – I had an idea of this light that you’re not sure if it’s a cure or not.

You grew up around hospitals as a result of your parents being doctors. Did the memories in those surroundings always stay with you?

Absolutely. I have a lot of attachment to this space [hospitals] I had an idea to put these spaces together because they are three important spaces for me: school, hospital, cinema. Because it’s my hometown I know everything and I had to cut a lot of scenes and it was hard because it was a lot of memories for me. I was thinking of a town two hours away but going there I had to pass through my hometown – I felt that maybe it could be a farewell letter to filmmaking here, so why not make it in my hometown?

Being such an influence among Asian cinema, do you have a preference between filmmaking and screenwriting?

I enjoy them in different ways; it’s not like a book but it allows me to do research. It’s more enjoyable than editing, especially this one because this was a four-year process after Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives (2010).

The cinematography in this film is stunning. How was it working alongside your Director of Photography, Diego García?

He was new to Thailand so he saw something in a foreign country that the locals forget something but he had this quality of colours of the country: maybe it helps because he meditates but he has this calm way of working and filming.

How did working on Cemetery of Splendour compare to the other projects that you have done?

Somehow I made this film with a mixture of feelings of sadness and happiness because of the country and how the military is taking over and dictating. I’m starting to feel more and more sure that this is going to be my last film in Thailand because it’s so suffocating telling stories there without self-censoring but happiness because its my space; my hometown. When I watch the film there’s a power in the beautiful landscape but at the same time glared with confusion/sadness.

Cemetery of Splendour screened as part of the Un Certain Regard section at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival. How was that experience for you?

This time it was a happy experience because it’s not in competition – there’s no carpet or expectation: it’s good for the film, maybe not for the producer [laughs] but for me I enjoy it.

You previously won the Palme d'Or for Uncle Boonmee...

It was shocking because the film was really local so I couldn’t imagine Tim Burton having a connection to this [laughs].

When did you decide that you wanted to make films?

From a young age, I really wanted to be a part of film – in my small town I would watch Spielberg: he has such an influence on people of my generation because the new science-fiction that he introduced. I was also introduced to experimental film in Chicago so was really heavily into that because I found that it suited my personality which is very introverted – this was all about being in the dark room. I didn’t expect to make these kinds of films [laughs] – Iranian cinema, Taiwanese cinema, I like slasher films, Tobe Hooper, at the same time I like Pasolini – my taste is all over the place – Andy Warhol, for the past few years I’m not conscious of these influences: I ask myself ‘what will I miss if things disappear?’ which is my partner, my dog so I incorporate into my films things that are closer to home.

Are you currently working on any future projects?

Fifteen years and I think maybe it’s to make a film outside of Thailand - The temperature and rhythm of Thailand is a character itself in my films.

Cemetery of Splendour is released in UK cinemas Friday 17th June 2016