Apichatpong Weerasethakul to announce shock retirement?

Sad news for Weerasethakul fans. Speculation had been rife that the Thai director best known for the movie Memoria, will announce his retirement from all public activities, at age 56, with immediate effect.

UPDATE 01/09/2026 : This story seems to be false. (read more)

Being a director isn't fun anymore

“As we get older, there are phases of life that we enter into, and being a director-screenwriter just isn't fun anymore,” he might have said, says a source who remained anonymous. Other reports hinted that he may branch out into other creative fields he is better at (and more interested in), though they didn't provide any details.

#ThankYouApichatpong

For a little while on Monday evening, #ThankYouApichatpong was a trending hashtag on Twitter. As many fans reminisce and look back on all the unforgettable memories, some may wonder what about now made him make the decision.

“You’ve accomplished everything I ever dreamed of #ThankYouApichatpong.”
— @DesireePlum, 31 Aug 2026

“Weerasethakul wasn't retired?”
— @borisB0, 31 Aug 2026

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