In this episode, filmmaker Apichatpong Weerasethakul is in conversation with curator and arts consultant Noah Cowen about making art during a time of societal change. To complement this episode, the acclaimed filmmaker has created an original short film in response to the global pandemic. Titled October Rumbles, this poignant, haunting work and its accompanying text is available online for the next two weeks.

Watch October Rumbles here: https://bit.ly/3oxGA5Y

Apichatpong Weerasethakul is a Thai independent film director, screenwriter, and film producer. Working outside the strict confines of the Thai film studio system, Weerasethakul has directed several features and dozens of short films. His feature films include Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives, winner of the 2010 Cannes Film Festival Palme d'Or prize; Tropical Malady, which won a 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. Apichatpong has also widely exhibited in galleries, and his work is currently on view at The Polygon Gallery until November 8.

Noah Cowan is a film and media consultant and curator, drawing on his work in many areas of the film world. He was most recently the Executive Director of SFFILM, following roles as the Artistic Director of TIFF Bell Lightbox and Co-Director of the Toronto International Film Festival. Cowan also co-founded the pioneering distribution company Cowboy Pictures and non-profit funder and educational distributor Global Film Initiative. He is the co-curator of multiple film and visual arts exhibitions, including David Cronenberg: Evolution and Transformation, and has written extensively on both topics.