Thailand Picks Cannes-Breakout '9 Temples to Heaven' for Oscar Submission
Thailand has chosen Sompot Chidgasornpongse's debut narrative feature "9 Temples to Heaven" as its submission for the Best International Feature Film category at the 99th Academy Awards. The National Federation of Motion Pictures and Contents Associations, Thailand's Oscar selection body, picked the film from 51 eligible titles, narrowing the field to eight before making its decision. The selection committee cited the film's distinctiveness, overall quality, profound subject matter, and reception from international critics after its Cannes debut. (The Hollywood Reporter)
The film world-premiered in Cannes' Directors' Fortnight section in May, becoming the first Thai feature selected for that sidebar in nearly two decades. It is a gently comic family road movie about a businessman named Sakol who, warned by a fortune teller that his ailing mother may soon die, leads his extended family on a single-day pilgrimage to nine Buddhist temples. (The Hollywood Reporter)
For Chidgasornpongse, the Oscar submission caps a long apprenticeship. He spent roughly two decades working as an assistant director to Thai auteur Apichatpong Weerasethakul on films including "Tropical Malady," "Syndromes and a Century," "Cemetery of Splendour," and "Memoria." His only previous directorial credit was the documentary "Railway Sleepers." Weerasethakul serves as a producer on "9 Temples to Heaven" alongside Kissada Kamyoung, and the film received support from the Purin Film Fund. (The Hollywood Reporter; Purin Film Fund)
The festival circuit has already been kind to the film. Chidgasornpongse won best director in the Asian New Talent competition at the Shanghai International Film Festival, where Sompop Songkampol took best actor. The film also picked up a jury prize at the New Zealand International Film Festival. Its North American premiere is set for the New York Film Festival this autumn. (The Hollywood Reporter)
Playtime is handling international sales. The film opens theatrically in Thailand on 17 September. (The Hollywood Reporter)
Thailand has never secured an Oscar nomination in the international feature category. The closest the country came was in 2024, when Pat Boonnitipat's "How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies" became the first Thai submission to reach the 15-title shortlist — the stage before the final five nominees are announced. The 99th Academy Awards ceremony is scheduled for 14 March 2027. (The Hollywood Reporter)
