Entertainment
Thailand selects ‘9 Temples to Heaven’ for 99th Academy Awards submission
Director Sompot Chidgasornpongse's ensemble drama will compete in the Oscars' international feature film category.
The short version
- Thailand has chosen '9 Temples to Heaven', directed by Sompot Chidgasornpongse, as its entry for the international feature film category at the 99th Academy Awards.
- A committee formed by the National Federation of Motion Pictures and Contents Associations picked the Cannes-debuted film from a pool of 51 eligible titles.
- The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will later trim the overall international submissions to a 15-film shortlist before deciding the final five nominees.
Key facts
- Thailand's National Federation of Motion Pictures and Contents Associations selected Sompot Chidgasornpongse's '9 Temples to Heaven' as the country's official Oscar submission out of 51 eligible films.[Variety]
- The film premiered earlier this year at the Cannes Film Festival and depicts a family's one-day pilgrimage across nine temples after a fortune teller predicts the impending death of an elderly mother.[Variety]
- Director Sompot Chidgasornpongse previously worked for over 20 years as an assistant director to filmmaker Apichatpong Weerasethakul.[Variety]
- Thailand has submitted 33 films to the Academy Awards since 1984, but none have earned a final nomination, with its highest achievement being a 15-film shortlist spot at the 97th awards.[Variety]
- The 99th Academy Awards ceremony is scheduled to take place on March 14, 2027.[Variety]
What remains uncertain
- Whether '9 Temples to Heaven' will clear the Academy's initial voting rounds to reach the 15-film shortlist or secure a final nomination remains unknown.[Variety]