Piano, the Mexican production and distribution company behind Ruben Östlund’s Palme d’Or-winning Triangle of Sadness, has boarded Apichatpong Weerasethakul’s next feature “Jengira’s Magnificent Dream”, producer Julio Chavezmontes has confirmed. The film stars Tilda Swinton alongside Jenjira Pongpas, Sakda Kaewbuadee, and Connor Jessup — reuniting the director and actress after their celebrated 2021 collaboration Memoria.
Tilda Swinton (Credits: Variety)
A Sri Lanka-Set Dream Journey
Previously developed under the working title The Fountains of Paradise, the film will shoot in Sri Lanka. The story follows Jenjira, a Thai widow who travels to Sigiriya to scatter her husband’s ashes, only to be drawn into visions that warp her sense of time and space. Guided by science and empathy, she journeys through different eras as a living portal connecting past, future, and spirit.
The production embraces a retro aesthetic inspired by 1970s science fiction, set in a world whose only visible temporal difference is the absence of cell phones — a typically playful Weerasethakul touch. The international co-production spans Anna Sanders Films (France), Burning (Colombia), Kick the Machine (Thailand), Baldr Film (Netherlands), Piano (Mexico), and Meta Films (Canada).
Why Piano Fits the Project
Piano, which celebrates its 15th anniversary this year, has built its reputation on international collaborations with filmmakers who push against cinematic convention — exactly the company Weerasethakul keeps. Östlund’s Triangle of Sadness, which Piano co-produced, went on to win the Palme d’Or and earn multiple Oscar nominations, proving the company’s taste for boundary-breaking auteur cinema.
For Weerasethakul, whose Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives won the Palme d’Or in 2010, the project marks another ambitious swing at metaphysical storytelling. His reunion with Swinton — she has said she is developing two projects with the director — promises to be one of arthouse cinema’s most anticipated events. With Piano now on board and a robust presence at the Morelia Film Festival, the dream is gathering serious momentum.
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Source: Variety — read the full story there.
