Cemetery of Splendor: A film by Apichatpong Weerasethakul

Film screening, followed by a conversation with the director

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Cemetery of Splendor

Written, directed and produced by Apichatpong Weerasethakul

Soldiers with a mysterious sleeping sickness are transferred to a temporary clinic in a former school. The memory-filled space becomes a revelatory world for volunteer Jenjira, as she watches over Itt, a handsome soldier with no family visitors. Jen befriends young medium Keng who uses her psychic powers to help loved ones communicate with the comatose men. Doctors explore ways, including colored light therapy, to ease the mens’ troubled dreams. There may be a connection between the soldiers’ enigmatic syndrome and the mythic ancient site that lies beneath the clinic. Magic, healing, romance and dreams are all part of Jen’s tender path to a deeper awareness of herself and the world around her.

Bio

Apichatpong grew up in Khon Kaen in north-eastern Thailand. He began making film and video shorts in 1994, and completed his first feature in 2000. He has also mounted exhibitions and installations in many countries since 1998. Often non-linear, with a strong sense of dislocation, his works deal with memory, politics, and social issues. His art projects and feature films have won him widespread recognition and numerous festival prizes, including two prizes from the Cannes Film Festival and the Artes Mundi Prize. In 2005 he was presented with one of Thailand’s most prestigious awards, Silpatorn, by the Thai Ministry of Culture. Apichatpong works and lives in Chiang Mai, Thailand.

Photograph by Chai Siris, courtesy of Kick the Machine Films