Apichatpong Weerasethakul, nicknamed Joei, is an independent film director, screenwriter, and film producer born in Bangkok to a Thai-Chinese family. His parents were both physicians and worked in a hospital in Khon Kaen, Thailand. Apichatpong attended Khon Kaen University and received a bachelor's degree in architecture in 1994.

He made his first short film, 'Bullet', in 1993. He attended the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and received a master's degree in fine arts in filmmaking in 1997. Apichatpong's feature-length debut, 'Dokfa Nai Meuman' (Mysterious Object at Noon), is a documentary conceptually based upon the "exquisite corpse" game invented by surrealists.

He co-founded the production company Kick the Machine in 1999 and used the company as a vehicle for his own works alongside Thai experimental films and video. The list of other founders includes Gridthiya Gaweewong and Suaraya Weerasethakul and the company co-organized the Bangkok Experimental Film Festival in 1999, 2001, 2005 and 2008.

His feature films include 'Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives,' winner of the prestigious 2010 Cannes Film Festival Palme d'Or prize; 'Tropical Malady', which won the Jury Prize at the 2004 Cannes Film Festival; Blissfully Yours, which won the top prize in the 'Un Certain Regard' program at the 2002 Cannes Film Festival; Syndromes and a Century, which premiered at the 63rd Venice Film Festival and was the first Thai film to be entered in competition there; and 'Cemetery of Splendour', which premiered in the 'Un Certain Regard' section of the 2015 Cannes Film Festival to critical acclaim. At the 2021 Cannes Film Festival, his film 'Memoria' won the Jury Prize. Weerasethakul has received numerous additional accolades, including the 2016 Principal Prince Claus Award.

Working outside the strict confines of the Thai film studio system, Weerasethakul has directed several features and dozens of short films. Themes reflected in his films (frequently discussed in interviews) include dreams, nature, sexuality (he himself is gay), and Western perceptions of Thailand and Asia. His films display a preference for unconventional narrative structures (such as placing titles/credits in the middle of a film) and for working with non-actors. Westerners refer to him as "Joe", however, his Thai nickname is Joei.

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