Winner of this prestigious award at the Asia Pacific Screen Awards is the Thai drama Cemetery of Splendour. Written and directed by Thailand’s auteurian master Apichatpong Weerasethakul, the film stars Banlop Lomnoi, Jarinpattra Rueangram and Jenjira Pongpas.

Weerasethakul also co-produced the film along with several others, including Danny Glover and Eric Vogel.

The plot revolves around a sleeping sickness that becomes an epidemic, causing its victims to see spirits and experience hallucinations. The film is a dreamy reflection of matters that echo both political and personal views, with the story focusing on the bonding between a hospital worker and a soldier with a mysterious infection.

The film screened and the 2015 Cannes Film Festival and was selected to be shown in the Masters section of the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival.

For Cemetery of Splendour, Apichatpong Weerasethakul worked outside the strict confines of the Thai film studio system. This director of several features and dozens of short films, is known for his preference for the unconventional and for working with inexperienced actors, siding with authenticity over professionalism. Industry peers affectionately refer to him as “Joe“.