Thai film A Useful Ghost wins top prize at Cannes Film Festival's Critics' Week
The film directed by Thailand's Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke is one of three "made-with-Singapore" films at this year's Cannes Film Festival.
Scene from A Useful Ghost. (Photo: Momo Film Co)
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Thai film A Useful Ghost – one of three "made-with-Singapore" films at this year's Cannes Film Festival – took home the Grand Prix Ami Paris trophy, the top prize at the annual event's Critics’ Week.
Critics’ Week, or Semaine de la Critique, is a section dedicated to discovering and promoting new talent. It is a parallel section of the main 78th Cannes Film Festival, which runs until May 24 in France.
Inspired by the popular ghost story in Thai folklore, Mae Nak, A Useful Ghost is directed by Thailand's Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke and co-produced by Singapore-based Momo Film Co, along with French and German counterparts.
Starring Thai actors Davika Hoorne and Witsarut Himmarat, the film is about a wife who dies due to dust pollution and unexpectedly returns in the form of a vacuum cleaner unravelling an unconventional human-ghost love story.
Singaporeans involved in the film include sound designer Lim Ting Li and product designer Sim Hao Jie.
According to a press release by Infocomm Media Development Authority’s (IMDA), Tan Si En, co-producer for this film and founder of Momo Film Co, said before the film’s win: "It’s incredible to have A Useful Ghost selected for Cannes Critics’ Week which has always supported strong directorial voice, originality, and bold storytelling.
“I’m proud to see Southeast Asian storytelling resonate on such a global stage.”
The film received support from IMDA's Southeast Asia Co-Production Grant under its Media Talent Progression Programme.
The Singapore release date for this film will be announced later.
The other "made-with-Singapore" films are Renoir and Before The Sea Forgets, which were partially produced with Singapore grants or with homegrown talents.
The former, directed by Japanese filmmaker Chie Hayakawa and co-produced by Singapore-based Akanga Film Asia, is in the festival's main competition and competing for the top Palme d'Or award. It received IMDA support via its Go-Global Grant, also under its Media Talent Progression Programme.
The latter is a short film by Vietnamese director Le Ngoc Duy, which was produced by Singapore production houses 13 Little Pictures and WBSB Films. It's part of Directors' Fortnight, another section in the festival.
