A Director Who Can Recall His Past Lives1 min read

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In the 10 months since Apichatpong Weerasethakul’s film “Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives” was awarded the Palme d’Or – the top prize – at last year’s Cannes Film Festival, the Thai director has had little time to work on his next projects.

The 40-year-old filmmaker has traveled the world with the film, a mystical story about a man in rural Thailand on death’s threshold, his interactions with his wife’s ghost and long-lost adult son who returns in animal form, and his memories of earlier incarnations.

This week, Mr. Apichatpong is in Hong Kong, where he picked up the best-film trophy for “Uncle Boonmee” at Monday’s Asian Film Awards. He also is screening his new short film “M Hotel,” which is part of the Hong Kong International Film Festival’s “Quattro Hong Kong 2″ project.

Over the past decade, Mr. Apichatpong has earned a reputation of one of Asia’s leading art-house directors. Films such as “Blissfully Yours,” “Tropical Malady” and “Syndromes and a Century” often take on dream-like qualities.