SYNDROMES AND A CENTURY (2006) in 35mm with filmmaker Apichatpong Weerasethakul
(Apichatpong Weerasethakul, 2006, 35mm, Thai with English subtitles, 105 min)

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SYNDROMES AND A CENTURY (Sang sattawat), Apichatpong Weerasethakul’s luminous and capacious fourth feature, embraces a twin narrative structure to tell stories of love and intimacy gleaned from the (real and imagined) memories of the filmmaker’s physician parents. The film traces the early dalliances and burgeoning romance of Dr. Toey (Nantarat Sawaddikul) and Dr. Nohng (Jaruchai Iamaram) across two dimensions—first, in a sun-dappled country clinic in Northern Thailand set around the time of the filmmaker’s childhood, and then again, roughly 40 years later, in the artificial environment of a city hospital in Bangkok. Infused with recollections from his upbringing in rural hospitals and the past lives of the cast, including Sakda (Sakda Kaewbuadee, reprising elements of his role as a freewheeling monk from TROPICAL MALADY), the narrative wanders tenderly alongside a group of doctors and patients seeking healing for their many mundane aches and metaphysical ailments. The film’s Thai title translates literally as “Light of the Century”; with SYNDROMES, Apichatpong illuminates personal and collective memories of the nation, while cementing his place as a beacon for innovative cinema in the new millennium.

Following the screening, director Apichatpong Weerasethakul will appear for conversation and Q&A with J.P. Sniadecki, director of the MFA in Documentary Media at Northwestern University.

35mm print courtesy of the UCLA Film and Television Archive. Rights courtesy of Strand Releasing.

Apichatpong Weerasethakul is a 2023 Hoffman Visiting Artist for Documentary Media, a short-term filmmaker residency at Northwestern’s School of Communications funded by a generous gift from Jane Steiner Hoffman and Michael Hoffman.

Co-presented with support from the Michael and Jane Hoffman Visiting Artist Series, the MFA in Documentary Media, the Department of Radio, Television, and Film, and the School of Communication at Northwestern.
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About the artist:

Apichatpong Weerasethakul is recognized as one of the most original voices in contemporary cinema. His works draw upon the interplay between lived and cinematic time, Buddhism, and science fiction to explore memory and complex social issues. Weerasethakul’s features, short films, and installations have gained widespread international recognition and numerous awards, including the Cannes Palme d’Or in 2010 for UNCLE BOONMEE WHO CAN RECALL HIS PAST LIVES, the Cannes Jury Prize in 2021 for MEMORIA and in 2014 for TROPICAL MALADY, and the Cannes Un Certain Regard Award in 2002 for BLISSFULLY YOURS. His installations have been exhibited and collected by institutions around the world. He is the recipient of the Sharjah Biennial Prize, the prestigious Yanghyun Prize in South Korea, and the 2016 Principal Prince Claus Award from the Netherlands.

A Note on Attendance:

This event is free, but RSVP through the Block Museum Eventbrite listing is required. RSVPs are limited to 1 per person. Registration does NOT guarantee a seat. Admission for registered guests will begin at 5:45 PM. A standby line will open at 5:30 PM for guests who were not able to register online; at 6:20 PM, all unclaimed seats will be opened to standby attendees. Please email block-museum@northwestern.edu with any questions.

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Tags: Apichatpong Weerasethakul, Block Museum of Art, Evanston, Northwestern University, SYNDROMES AND A CENTURY, SYNDROMES AND A CENTURY (2006) in 35mm with filmmaker Apichatpong Weerasethakul