Uncle Boonmee Celebrations

Our hero, Apichatpong, finally returned home, to a chocka-blocked schedule and a hero's welcome which included a visit with the PM, a celebatory dinner hosted by the ambassador of France and his ravishing wife and a big party at the Thai Film Archives hosted by the Thai Film Foundation and Jim Thompson. It was definitely an Apichatpong-a-rama of a weekend.

I actually interviewed P'Joei on Friday for the profile I am writing on him for Tatler, it was a lovely chat we had at the Kick the Machine office. He answered my questions about space and time and the suspension of it. The piece will be in Tatler next month.

On Saturday, my father and I were invited to dinner at the Residence of the French ambassador, it is beautiful, like going back intio a time long gone. I adored the speech Monsieur Le Lidec delivered.

P'Joei and the cast of Uncle Boonmee with the Palme D'or

It was a wonderful evening that made one feel very close to the Palme D'Or (eeks!) but then again it was for P'Joei and his warm, wonderful and very talented cast and crew. I touched a Palme d'Or. It is weighty, beautiful and precious,to me representing the hard work and passion that goes into filmmaking to win one of these.

P'Joei and Monsieur Le Lidec

P'Joei, his Palme d'Or and me

The next day was more celebrations and off to Nakorn Pathom we went to the nostalgic Thai Film Archives which played host to a temple party called San De Jai (= soo happy) where the tent covered food from roti to phad Thai and drinks were traditional Thai concoctions with the addition of a Grey Goose bar and their customised Tropical Malady and other worldly cocktails. The theatre was packed during the seesion with P'Joei and the very sharp, totally poignant and knowledgeable film critic/writer Kong Rithdee, so we hung outside in front of the TV watching the interview what took place in the theatre and sneaking in photo ops from the scenic set up.

There was a bald little boy that was like a magical golden child, his enery was totally other worldly.

Golden child on the red carpet with P'Joei and P'Piak cut-outs

Lynn and I

The hand printing session was very charming, the actors and actresses from Boonmee are so wonderful, Pa Jane and Sakda are two of the regulars in P'Joei's movies.

Pa Jane making her print

Sakda

The evening was time for an outdoor screening of the Uncle Boonmee trailer, some excerpts and something which I have not seen before was the music video done with Moderndog as part of the Primitive installation and the second time I saw Letters to Uncle Boonmee. It was definitely a bonus sitting with the film editor watching the clips :) .

Then the real magic started and it came with the rain, not only can they act but the entire cast of Uncle Boonmee can sing and sing really really well, lukthung and Molam - like what you see in the movies, P'Joei's movies but in real life, in the middle of nowhere to celebrate a little golden palm. It was magical.

A must surreal weekend and one which would be very fitting to a visionary whose work which was being celebrated was described as like " a strange floating dream like nothing one has seen before" - Tim Burton.

Uncle Boonmee and me

Cannot wait to see the film, especially now that the people who have made it and are in it have become so real - are real.