Thai filmmaker Apichatpong Weerasethakul has received the Knight of the National Order of the Legion of Honor—France’s highest distinction for military and civil merit—in recognition of his role in shaping global contemporary cinema and strengthening cultural ties between France and Thailand. The award was presented on June 10 by the French ambassador to Thailand, Jean-Claude Poimboeuf, during a ceremony at the French embassy in Bangkok. 

Born in Bangkok in 1970 and raised in Khon Kaen by Thai Chinese parents, Weerasethakul is known for his atmospheric films probing memory, generational trauma, and political violence. He ventured into film even before earning his MFA in filmmaking from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 1997, creating experimental short films in the 1990s that draw on his traditional Buddhist upbringing, as well as Thai folklore and animism. Notable projects include Bullet (1993), his first short film; Tropical Malady (2004); Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives (2010), which became the first Southeast Asian film to win the Palme d’Or at the 63rd Cannes Film Festival; and Memoria (2021), for which he clinched the Jury Prize at the 74th Cannes Film Festival. In 1999, he founded Kick the Machine—a production company dedicated to supporting and promoting independent filmmakers—through which he produced his first feature film, Mysterious Object at Noon (2000). 

A regular at Cannes, Weerasethakul has also participated in other major film festivals worldwide, including the Asia Pacific Screen Awards in Australia and the Buenos Aires International Festival of Independent Cinema, where he won best director for his romance film Blissfully Yours (2002). He is also the co-founder of Bangkok Experimental Film Festival, which he established in 1997 alongside Thai curator Gridthiya Gaweewong.

Weerasethakul’s films and video installations have been exhibited at various institutions across the globe—from Hong Kong’s M+ to Centre Pompidou in Paris—and at several international art events, such as Documenta 13 in Kassel (2012), Sharjah Biennial 11 (2013), and the 12th Gwangju Biennale (2018), among others. His upcoming film, Jenjira’s Magnificent Dream, which explores themes of grief and spirituality through the story of a Thai widow traveling to Sri Lanka to scatter her husband’s ashes, is scheduled to debut in 2027.

Emmanuelle Richter is an editorial intern at ArtAsiaPacific.