Apichatpong Weerasethakul (Joe) won the Palme d'Or at 63rd edition of Cannes Film Festival. And it aroused a lot of noise about his work even here in Sri Lanka. Everyone wanted to watch 's movies and also lot of them are trying to get his new film online as soon as possible. So Weerasethukal's winning Palme d'Or is going to create different vibes even in our country according to the ways people, specially filmmakers see his works. And I'm in very positive hope that there will be a lot of short films and may be even features alike Weerasethakul's in our country near future. What we only can do living in an island like this is copying what they (west) have recognized as Art..But not creating something unique which is more challenging. And I respect Joe very much for taking that risk and put out what he wants.And from the very first day I first met Joe with a pirated copy on my computer, I wonder how the western minds are going to read him. Would they be able to find the subtle tracks within his work? Most of all, the ordinary subjects he chooses and his floating in the bliss of life. This context is really far away from a western mind to grasp.
But he won Palme d'Or.
So now I'm trying to figure out what made his film success. As I see, most of them are not attributed to the unique expression that Joe is promising. But it shows us a very sad truth about Art we believe.
In a country like ours we always tend to think that awarded films at a festival like Cannes, Berlin or Venice are really good films and they are the ones we should follow to get our recognition too. But in my point of view all these major festivals are not showing anything other than the authority vested in west to define what the true Art is, which for me is obviously stupid.
In all those festivals there are hidden currents which push up the films from various parts of the world as unique Art pieces. For example Asia is at their priority now. These under currents are not impartial at all; But highly political. If someone thinks that he has to send his film to these festivals and if it is good enough it will be recognized, I dare to say he or she is still a child in front of this world cinema business. There are people who are deciding which films should be awarded even prior to festival. If someone can go through some research he or she can easily find the tracks showing that how these films are getting selected. I just wanted to say their artistic or poetic issues are very little matters in this selecting procedure.
For example these days all artists, critics and heads in the west who define and re define what is art for tomorrow through these fests are all crazy about homosexuality. It's almost like the gleaming fashion in art ideology. From the legendary filmmaker Abbas Kirosthami to their new hit Weerasethukal this factor worked very positively. Even his touch of cinema is basically gay. This is the basic for any filmmaker to get catch these aristocrat's attraction.
''What do you mean? Do you mean am I married? I have a lover, he is a student (laughs), an artist, a photographer.'' Joe
And in western mind their feeling about spirituality is far more different than an Asian mind that has spent all its life in these bogus spiritual disciplines. Joe earns more marks with the fact claiming his films as spiritual. For westerners even a scene through an Asian forest is enough to give this ejaculation. I'm so sad to say these westerners have no understanding or need of knowing about real spiritual experiences. They are just seeking pleasure through them same as the land owners of the feudal system bought paintings of landscapes to be thrilled with the scenery of what they owned.
It's not a democratic dialogue. They just ask us to paint what they want.
''I just do scripting and meditating, Vipassana, which is concentrated on your breath'' Joe
At present we can see a clearly see a change of aesthetics they expect from the films (or cinema) at so called prestigious festivals. Now they don’t get the darkness as a meaning of life any more. They are moving out from the Jesus to reach Buddha. if they really do not know where they are heading to. Bliss through the suffering of life is now changing in to total happiness, blissfulness and relaxation. No sadness at all. This is the trend. It's the pleasure western mind needs now. They do not care if it is a matter of life or matter of socio-political change in the context which film is coming. They have their own hypothesizes. All based on the bohemian need to be numb. For example these western art critics even can't accept the factor that in Sri Lanka we live a same urban life like they do. They just believe in our agriculture, mud and myths. Same thing applies to Thailand. Joe's new film is basically covered with myths. So it is acceptable. Joe's film touch is so childish; so fragile; light as white. It soothes the western mind with Asian herbs. So they selected him as the aesthetic form of this year.
"All my films are gentle."
-Joe
Again, I am not saying anything about Joe's films. I'm just saying about how it got selected: Actual political factors behind the scene.
This is what I see in my eyes. This is how I see the real Asian, African or Ethiopian life is not expressing in that so called cinema. We have to make what they believe as we. They have their own perception on us. If we want to be an award winner we just have to accept and capture our life in a way that suits in to their definitions. Then only we can sell. That's the film business. No good than any other business.
If we can't accept and still want to do something very personal and true, we have to be terrorists; have to find another form of cinema; where there is no authority, but a dialogue to reveal the text behind the screen.
Have to do a hard struggle bring such kind of real cinema in to a reality.
We have to fight for our dream.
But isn’t it worth fighting for?
