Buddhist Film wins Palme d'Or

This year's Palme d'Or was won by Thai director Apichatpong Weerasethakul with his film "Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives."

"Suffering from acute kidney failure, Uncle Boonmee has chosen to spend his final days surrounded by his loved ones in the countryside. Surprisingly, the ghost of his deceased wife appears to care for him, and his long lost son returns home in a non-human form. Contemplating the reasons for his illness, Boonmee treks through the jungle with his family to a mysterious hilltop cave -- the birthplace of his first life... "



Apichatpong Weerasethakul says that a man named Boonmee approached Phra Sripariyattiweti, the abbot of a Buddhist temple in his home town, claiming he could clearly remember his own previous lives while meditating. The abbot was so impressed with Boonmee's ability that he published a book called "A Man Who Can Recall His Past Lives" (1983). By the time Apichatpong read the book, Boonmee had died. Nevertheless, it inspired him to write a screenplay using a similar content and structure