Hong Kong Hero

Uncle Boonmee (though he is no longer with us) was the first person Apichatpong Weerasethakul thanked as he accepted the Best Film Award for Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives, at the 5th Annual Asian Film Awards in Hong Kong last Monday night.

P'Joei has been globetrotting around the world with very little time to rest for the success of Uncle Boonmee has been just phenomenal and as he said on Monday night, for such a small film, it has come so far and he is very proud. A hero in HK with his small film against big budget Chinese ones, this should give us some hope. I believe that it does.

There were some especially memorable moments that night with the speeches made for Japan, in the light of earthquake, tsunami,and nuclear catastrophe. It is always seen as somewhat decadent when a natural disaster hits or political turmoil is rife for entertainment awards to go on, in this case, the Japanese contingency showed their resilience and strength by being there. I found the speech by Thomas Yoda, the director of the Tokyo International Film Festival to be sincere and most touching. The Chinese blockbuster Aftershock which was about the aftershock of a huge earthquake in China was a tale about the human spirit and the human will to survive, this was somewhat appropriate and relevant that night.

I went along to the Award Ceremony and was very lucky to have been taken care of by Norman Wang and his friend Helen so I had a pretty good seat and could see all the action pretty up close. Apart from P'Joei's win which was certainly the best monment of the night for me there was an awesome performance by an Indian band called Indian Ocean, sensational, so fun and a bit of exoticism to what would otherwise have been a rather grand, quite formal Chinese affair . The band won best score for an Indian film called Peepli Live. I did like how these big blockbusters sat alongside small indie productions and both were recognised. Rather refreshing. It was nice to have a brief catch up with Harvey Weinstein, in a rather jolly mood, I would be too though if I had the victories he had for his recent films, The King's Speech and not to mention The Fighter and the reception Blue Valentine has had. I will forever agree with VF that Harvey is probably one of the last cinema impresarios, love or hate him, I find him rather inspiring.

The AFA after party was quite fun, especially as dinner was served (the award ceremony took HOURS and we were famished)and in true Asian style, the big sponsor, Audi was in full display with a vehicle placed in the centre of the room. Nonetheless, I did enjoy seeing P'Joei congratulated and applauded as he did the rounds at the party:)

Me and P'Joei

Lee and I

The AFA was a highlight though I was actually in HK for Filmart which is this humongous film market that is part of Hong Kong's annual entertainment expo. It was my first time, not so different from Art Fairs and I suppose Fashion Salons but this was a whole different ball game, films were being bought and sold. I saw a brilliant documentary about Sir Norman Foster called "How Much Does Your Building Weigh Mr Foster?" and the short films commissioned by the HKIFF Society. The Malaysian short was great, cheeky, funny but still quite dark and I liked Apichatpong's M Hotel for its imagery and mood, again, dreamy but this time a bit grittier. At first I was a little confused and after some time it just sort of sucks you in.

It is customary to have a press junket for the best film winner the next day and I had the chance to sit in to watch P'Joei answer many questions in the most fluent and thought provoking way. In the background was a poster of Ananda Everingham, this too was part of what was being unveiled that morning. His new project, a film that he will be producing, Lee Chatametikool's film, the name has been changed from Past Love to Concrete Clouds and will be starring Ananda and Jane, the film will also be produced by iconic filmmaker Sylvia Chang, Thai producer Soros Sukhum and Electric Eel. Lee is P'Joei's frequent editor (also award winning editor having won best editor at the AFA twice) but this will be his directorial debut. I am bit excited (an understatement really, very excited). The movie will be set in 1985 and 1997, the earlier years as flashbacks and the present in 1997, the height of the economic meltdown in Thailand where a tragedy brings back the hero from NYC to deal with "home", and what he left. Lee is particularly poignant when speaking about monuments which are what these characters search for, monuments of their youth which might or might not be there anymore. All the while he searches and goes back to find that the monuments are faded and like the big empty abandonded skeletons of bangkok, they are empty. This echoes the writer/director's own experience as he returned home to these stark lonely buildings resembling concrete clouds. The hero's story is mimicked by his younger brother, 18 years old and discovering things for himself, building his own monuments. I do like the title, it captures the slow heart break as well as the physical and economic reality of that time, these concrete clouds.

P'Joei and Lee with legendarly filmmaker Yonfan

Film festivals, fashion weeks and art fairs have in common many elements, hard work being one but there are also the parties to lok forward to. The Japan party was sweet but my favourite was the Hollywood Reporter dinner at a stall on the street just off Stanley. Street food a la Hollywood. So cute.

Kay, P'Juke, Yuni and friend

It was also fun that Jane decided to join us (she will be co-starring in Concrete Clouds), straight off the plane with her giant silver Rimowa case that the lucky chap she was with wheeled up and down the hill. It was HK after all.

Jane and I

Jane, Lee and I

We went to Lily and Bloom for Penicillen cocktails and corn bread and a surprise meeting with Ivan Pun whom I seem to bump into everywhere. HK works well like that, surprise encounters, all very transient, always fun. My last night was about intoxication vs my first, a catch up with Dee Poon who took me to Kiku where I had a special Kiku roll that knocked the socks off Honmono in Bkk (and tripled my cholesterol leval for sure, it was all uni, toro and egg) and then to get my ears candled. Strange strange way to spend a Sunday night but after all it is HK and for such a straight place, it always has its way of surprising, in a good way.

Uncle Boonmee comes home . . .

to Thailand that is . . . not yet to Esarn but for now to SFX cinema at The Emporium to satisfy the thirst of those living in the Kingdom to have a taste of the Palme D'or, or specifically a chance to watch Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives at a movie theatre near them.

I had a chance to watch it at the premiere on Friday where two theatres simultaneously screened the movie. A little intro was made by P'Joei to the effect that, "this is the magic of the Palme d'Or that Thailand is the 3rd country in the world to have the movie screened" and "there was once a lady, called Lada, at the Ministry of Culture, she said that NOBODY wants to watch my films . . . well, the fact that tonight there are 2 packed theatres with my friends and supporters, perhaps she is wrong and I am so happy that there is SOMEBODY out there that wants to watch an Apichatpong film" . . ."please don't think too much and let yourself be hypnotised and taken on a journey".

To take us on a journey he certainly did, into a world where spirits and Monkey Ghosts are perfectly normal, where fish talk and can make love to a princess. It was surreal, beautiful and at once, totally normal that caves glisten with diamonds and spirits come to dinner . . . To over analyse and think too much about how it all relates choronogically and on what plane is the movie functioning would require a PhD thesis. What is evident though is that P'Joei does disrupt the plane in which time is assumed to function, yet,ironically, time is linear in real life as the movie runs its 2 hour course but these 2 hours are spent immersed in a world where the past, the present and the future blur, mingle and interact, creating a 4th dimension. And he was able to do this with humour, the funny moments were charming and the nostalgic ones evoked memories of my own childhood of Star Wars, old TV sitcoms and that princess in pink in a carriage that every little girl wants to be. A suspension of time and space, making us dig deep into our pool of memories and beliefs, yet is also his own personal homage to cinema. My father was perplexed and intrigued and I think it reminded him of elements of his childhood growing up in the North East. The guy on my right probably thought I was something of a drama queen as he had to listen to me gasp, cry and laugh (I am probably a rather annoying person to watch a film with) as I was totally carried away by this rather strange magical journey.

Dad, myself, Boonmee cupcakes and P'Joei

From the packed theatres where the Thai cultural pack (for lack of a better description) emerged after being spellbound there was then a reception in the foyer with green bottled beer and Uncle Boonmee shirts sold. Jelly Jan made me a dozen sticky date cupcakes that spelt perfectly UNCLE BOONMEE which Lee's assistant had to guard with her life. I then went along with Lee for a late night supper to an establishment called 55 Pochana (I was informed by former that there is a song written about this place), to the longest table ever.

long table

A rather long table on the street with a backdrop of the glistening Sukhumvit Road after the rain, with the cast and crew of Uncle Boonmee, how surreal it was to sit across from Boonsong, the Monkey Ghost as a human . . . especially now that they are real in the movie too.

Boonsong

For three days thereafter, I have dreamt of having a pet Monkey Ghost with red eyes, sitting at dinner with spirits and lastly that catfish.

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.