"Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives" was inspired by the 1983 book "A Man Who Can Recall His Past Lives" by Buddhist abbot Phra Sripariyattiweti. The film is the final installment in a multi-platform art project by Apichatpong Weerasethakul called "Primitive". It premiered at the 2010 Cannes Film Festival, where it won the Palme d'Or, becoming the first Thai film to do so.