Apichatpong Weerasethakul doesn’t create blockbuster films. He doesn’t even really create what you might consider typical narrative features. His films are challenging, beautiful pieces of art. They are cinematic experiences. And what better way to celebrate the release of his latest feature, “Memoria,” than to be forced to see it on the big screen?

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Back in October of last year, it was announced that NEON was forgoing the typical release strategy for a film (theatrical followed by VOD and streaming), and instead, the plan was going to be to keep “Memoria” in theaters…forever.

Continue reading ‘Memoria’ Trailer: Apichatpong Weerasethakul’s Beautiful Drama Will Only Ever Be Seen In Theaters Starting In April at The Playlist.

Few performers boast a resume of such wide breadth as the intrepid, versatile Tilda Swinton, whose eclectic array of roles and collaborators run the full gamut of what acting can be. As confident popping into the Marvel Cinematic Universe as she is wandering a warehouse under the tutelage of Pedro Almodóvar, there’s seemingly no style she can’t master, making her the perfect partner for director Apichatpong Weerasethakul in the film of firsts that is “Memoria.” Leaving his native Thailand and making a foray into the English language, he’s put his faith in Swinton to anchor his signature style, in which action and dialogue take a back seat to stillness, mood, and texture.

Continue reading ‘Memoria’: Apichatpong Weerasethakul & Tilda Swinton Discuss Their Dreamy New Film [Interview] at The Playlist.

If you’ve been following the box office news and the film industry over the past couple of years, you know the big discussion surrounds the idea of an exclusive theatrical window for films. It’s important for theater owners and studios to come to an agreement about how long a film stays exclusive to theaters before hitting streaming, VOD, Blu-ray, or other mediums. Well, it appears NEON is going the extra step of making one of its new films, “Memoria,” stay in theaters forever.

Continue reading NEON Will Keep ‘Memoria’ In Theaters Forever As Film Will Never Get A VOD, Streaming Or Physical Release at The Playlist.

In one scene of Apichatpong Weerasethakul’s “Memoria,” Jessica (Tilda Swinton) and a friend browse refrigerated cabinets designed to preserve flowers. “In here, time stops,” the saleswoman says proudly, gesturing at the blue cupboards. The same could be said of the film at large. A master of slow cinema, Weerasethakul takes his time with every shot; long stretches of time pass without any dialogue or movement.

Continue reading ‘Memoria’: Apichatpong Weerasethakul Meditates on Ecology & Time With Tilda Swinton In A Slow Burn Dream [Cannes Review] at The Playlist.

The Robert Bresson quote that opens the anthology film “Year of the Everlasting Storm” — “you don’t create by adding, but by taking away” — makes a tidy adage of the time-honored idea that deprivation breeds innovation. Just as the signees of the Dogme 95 Manifesto believed that restricting themselves along various formal guidelines would enforce a newfound authenticity in their work, the seven directors contributing to this omnibus operate under the premise that the obstructions of the COVID-19 era could be more boon than bane, compelling them to get crafty and dig deeper.

Continue reading ‘Year Of The Everlasting Storm’: Neon’s Anthology Film Features Auteurs Jafar Panahi, Laura Poitras, David Lowery & More [Cannes Review] at The Playlist.

“As a kid, I was drawn to jungles, animals, and mountains,” Palme D’or winning director Apichatpong Weerasethakul says in the press notes to his surreal new Cannes Film Festival provocation, “Memoria.” A film that Neon Films itself calls, “bewildering,” though that’s not that strange if you know the work of this Thai master. “During the ’70s, I grew up reading novels about hunters looking for treasures from lost civilizations.

Continue reading ‘Memoria’ Trailer: Tilda Swinton Stars In Apichatpong Weerasethakul’s Surreal New Cannes Provocation at The Playlist.

Another Cannes Film Festival line-up announcement, another new round of trailers. Now, we’ve got the first look at Neon’s “The Year of the Everlasting Storm,” an anthology feature featuring seven stories told by an internationally acclaimed roster: filmmakers Jafar Panâhi, Anthony Chen, Malik Vitthal, Laura Poitras, Dominga Sotomayor, David Lowery, and Apichatpong Weerasethakul.  

READ MORE: Sean Baker, Andrea Arnold, Mia Hanson-Love, Asghar Farhadi New Films Announced For 2021 Cannes Film Festival

No real word on who stars in what short, other from what you can glean in the trailer, but here’s the official synopsis:

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Watch

Featuring seven stories from seven auteurs from around the world, the film chronicles this unprecedented moment in time and is a true love letter to the power of cinema and its storytellers.

Continue reading ‘The Year Of The Everlasting Storm’ Trailer: Cannes-Bound Anthology Features 7 Stories Told By Jafar Panahi, David Lowery, Apichatpong Weerasethakul & More at The Playlist.

There have been a surprising number of pandemic films that have been released over the last year. In a world where people were on lockdown with very little to do outside of their homes, it seems as if some filmmakers have been able to use that time to still create films. Whether that’s the various short films from folks like David F. Sandberg, Spike Lee, amongst others or fully-produced features like Shudder’s surprisingly great “Host” or the dreadful, Michael Bay-produced thriller, “Songbird.” And over at NEON, the studio decided to go a different route with the studio’s upcoming feature, “The Year of the Everlasting Storm.”

READ MORE: Hollywood Studios Have Little New To Sneak At Big Screen Is Back Event

According to Screen Daily, NEON’s new pandemic-inspired film, “The Year of the Everlasting Storm,” was showcased as part of the recent “The Big Screen is Back” event that happened as a way to get people excited about going to cinemas once again.

Continue reading David Lowery, Apichatpong Weerasethakul & More Directing Segments Of NEON’s Upcoming Pandemic-Inspired Film at The Playlist.

With the lack of a Cannes (and a regular film festival circuit) in 2020 due to the pandemic, there were multiple reports that a lot of filmmakers were going to hold their work back until there could be a semi-normal event to premiere. Well, judging by early reports about which films might show up, it appears that Cannes 2021 could become a truly star-studded affair with some huge projects debuting at the event.

Continue reading Cannes 2021: New Films From Paul Thomas Anderson, Paul Schrader, Jane Campion, Sean Penn & More Could Premiere at The Playlist.

With movie theaters across the globe closed, many of us are missing the theatrical moviegoing experience. Not all of us express our emotions through heartfelt essays, however, as Thai slow cinema luminary Apichatpong Weerasethakul shares his thoughts of how cinema may change after the pandemic ends.

READ MORE: Amidst Global Pandemic, Pedro Almodóvar Finds Solace In The “Pure Entertainment” Of James Bond Movies

Responding to a similar letter by filmmaker Jia Zhang-ke, Weerasethakul wrote an essay for FilmKrant where he imagines how our moviegoing habits will change and how this situation “will breed a group of people who have developed an ability to stay in the present moment longer than others,” Weerasethakul wrote.

Continue reading Filmmaker Apichatpong Weerasethakul Imagines The Post-Quarantine Future Of Cinema In Powerful Essay at The Playlist.

Since launching in 1963, the New York Film Festival has never had a documentary or non-fiction film open the festival, but that all changes in 2016, with organizers slating a timely movie from a director with an important voice.

READ MORE: From Troublemakers To Playmakers: Watch The Trailer For Netflix Football Doc Series ‘Last Chance U’

NYFF has announced today that Ava DuVernay‘s “The 13th” will open the festival in 2016.

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Review: Apichatpong Weerasethakul's 'Cemetery Of Splendour' Demands To Be Seen In A Cinema

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Cannes: First Poster, Images, And Synopsis For Apichatpong Weerasethakul's 'Cemetery Of Splendour'

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20 Films We Hope To See At The 2015 Cannes Film Festival

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Gasper Noe, Vincent Gallo, Apichatpong Weerasethakul, Carlos Reygadas & More Team For Soccer Pic Omnibus

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Watch: 'Venezia 70 - Future Reloaded' Short Films By Claire Denis, James Franco, Paul Schrader & Many More

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Restored Films By Martin Scorsese, Nicholas Ray, Alain Resnais & More Headed To New York Film Festival 2013

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'Uncle Boonmee' Director Apichatpong Weerasethakul Prepping Next Film 'Cemetery Of Kings'

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Watch: 'Uncle Boonme' Director Apichatpong Weerasethakul's Short Film 'Cactus River'

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Apichatpong Weerasethakul's Next Film Seems Like Subtler, Stranger, Artier Cousin To 'Inception'

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First Images From Apichatpong Weerasethakul's 'Mekong Hotel'

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Continue reading Interview: Apichatpong Weerasethakul On ‘Uncle Boonme,’ Steven Spielberg, ‘Inception’ & More at The Playlist.

Continue reading Watch: Trailer For ‘Uncle Boonme’ Features Ghosts, Human/Catfish Sex, Red Eyed Creatures & More at The Playlist.

Continue reading ‘Uncle Boonme’ Director Apichatpong Weerasethakul Lining Up ‘Mekong Hotel’; Tilda Swinton To Star? at The Playlist.

Continue reading Take A Look At Chris Ware’s Gorgeous Poster For ‘Uncle Boonme Who Can Recall Past Lives’ at The Playlist.