Ghost of Asia

Ghost of Asia is a celebration of living and its pleasures. The filmmakers imagine a ghost who still lives and wanders around the seashores. They invite three kids – two boys and a girl – to a Thai island to make a film. The kids are provided with an actor whose function is like a puppet or a ghost, to perform tasks dictated by them. The film is structured according to the children’s real-time pace of direction. The actor becomes their simulated life, their projection of the things it is possible for one to do.

Screening Schedule

No physical screenings scheduled.

Direction: Apichatpong Weerasethakul, Christelle Lheureux

Script: Jantrakansorn Sukkrajang, Sakda Poka, Nantawat Poonpeum

Cinematography: Apichatpong Weerasethakul, Christelle Lheureux

Editing: Apichatpong Weerasethakul, Christelle Lheureux

Sound: Akritchalerm Kalayanamitr

Music: Gandhi Anantagant, Decha Woongon

Actors: Sakda Kaewbuadee

Production: Cité Siam, Alliance Française, French Embassy Bangkok

Format: DCP

Color: Color

Production Country: Thailand, France

Production Year: 2005

Duration: 9'

Contact: Kick the Machine

Apichatpong Weerasethakul

Apichatpong began making films and video shorts in 1994 and completed his first feature in 2000. He has also mounted exhibitions and installations in many countries since 1998. Apichatpong is recognized as a major international filmmaker and visual artist. His works are characterized by their use of non-linear storytelling, often dealing with themes of memory, loss, identity, desire, and history. His works have won him widespread international recognition and numerous awards, including the Cannes Jury Prize in 2021 for Memoria, his first film shot outside of Thailand featuring Tilda Swinton. He also won the Cannes Palme d’Or in 2010 with Uncle Boonmee, Who Can Recall His Past Lives. His Tropical Malady won the Cannes Competition Jury Prize in 2004 and Blissfully Yours won the Cannes Un Certain Regard Award in 2002. Syndromes and a Century (2006) was recognized as one of the best films of the last decade in several 2010 polls. His art prizes include the Sharjah Biennial Prize (2013), the Fukuoka Prize (2013), the Yanghyun Art Prize (2014) and the Artes Mundi Award (2019). His installations have been shown at the Haus der Kunst in Munich, The New Museum in New York, MAIIAM Contemporary in Chiang Mai, Documenta in Kassel, and the Taipei Fine Arts Museum in Taipei, among others. His artworks include the multi-screen project Primitive (2009), Fireworks (Archives) (2014), and Invisibility (2016). They have been acquired by major institutions such as Tate Modern, Fondation Louis Vuitton, Centre Georges Pompidou, Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo, M+, Museu d'Art Contemporani de Barcelona, and SFMOMA. His recent installations include Constellations (2018), Fiction (2018), SleepCinemaHotel (2018), A Minor History (2021, 2022), and A Conversation with the Sun – VR (2022). Apichatpong lives and works in Chiang Mai, Thailand.

Filmography

2000 Mysterious Object at Noon
2002 Blissfully Yours
2003 The Adventure of Iron Pussy
2004 Tropical Malady
2005 Ghost of Asia (short)
2006 Syndromes and a Century
2007 Luminous People (short)
2010 Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives
2015 Cemetery of Splendour
2021 Memoria

Christelle Lheureux

Christelle Lheureux (1972) is a French artist and filmmaker. She followed various art studies at French academies including in Picardy, Paris VIII and Le Fresnoy. Her work deals mostly with non-linear stories in between fiction and documentary, with screens, moving images and sounds often split. She has been creating video installations and films since 1997, and has collaborated with renowned artists Apichatpong Weerasethakul and Albert Serra, among others. She has participated in numerous exhibitions, biennials and contemporary art residencies in Europe and Asia and has won prizes at several film festivals.