( CNN ) -- Not many winners of the Cannes Film Festival Palm d'Or thank ghosts and spirits in their acceptance speech . But for Apichatpong Weerasethakul , Thailand 's first ever winner of the film award , it was a natural thing to do . `` It was kind of an in-joke . At the same time , I think [ `` Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives '' ] is about [ a person ] who believes in spirits , in reincarnation so I kind of thank him for it because he might have been there , '' he told CNN . The award came as a shock to Weerasethakul , who has previously found success at Cannes when he won the Jury Prize in 2004 for `` Tropical Malady , '' but did n't expect to win the big prize . `` When I heard Tim Burton will be head of jury , I was thinking no way ... but when I actually won the prize I thought a different way that maybe because Tim Burton has always created his own wacky world and also my film operates in my own world , and it 's quite a nutty one . '' The `` nutty world '' of `` Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives '' has a lead character ( played by a real-life roof welder ) who talks to spirits and ghosts as he faces the last days of this life . Weerasethakul believes the success of the film at the festival and with international audiences where it has been shown is down to the universal theme of fear of loss . `` Another point is if the trend of movie culture is to be so bombarded by such high production movies , people crave for a personal movie now , a small one , '' he said . While some critics debated if `` Uncle Boonmee '' was a worth winner of such an esteemed award , others praised Weerasethakul for creating a film more like a metaphysical meditation ; Tim Burton described it as `` like a beautiful dream that you do n't see very often . '' Weerasethakul however has been battling with the harsh realities of making what many consider art-house film in Thailand for many years . The `` Uncle Boonmee '' project took three years to complete and many of his other films have faced heavy censorship . His 2006 film `` Syndromes and The Century '' was accused by the Thai authorities as being a potential threat to national security , something Weerasethakul refuted . `` You can not make anything , I mean , you can not [ talk ] basically about politics , and also religion , and other institutions in Thailand . You can not talk about that in cinema . So that kind of cripples you in a way . '' He won a few battles against the film censors and helped to establish a rating system for films in Thailand , but Weerasethakul still believes the need to speak out against limits to freedom of speech . Weerasethakul was not surprised to see the protests and violence that gripped Thailand 's capital earlier this year . `` I guess [ the violence ] is bound to happen because we had such a huge gap in the difference in the classes of people . [ It ] also makes us think about where we stand especially if you 're Thai ; it forces us to think about our moral standpoint . `` I think we all should speak more . About how we feel . About this oppression . Because Thailand has become a democracy not long ago . And people still , we are still in obedience ? It is a very obedience culture . ''
Apichatpong Weerasethakul won the Palm d'Or at the earlier this year the Cannes Film Festival Palm d'Or . Thai director thanked ghosts and spirits in his acceptance speech . Apichatpong Weerasethakul critical of lack of freedom on expression in Thailand .