Sompot Chidgasornpongse’s latest feature, 9 Temples To Heaven, has been selected as Thailand’s entry for the Best International Feature Film category at the 99th Academy Awards.
The co-production between Thailand, Singapore, France, Norway, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, and Qatar debuted in the Quinzaine competition at this year’s Cannes Film Festival.
The film follows Sakol, who, after hearing a prophecy that his elderly mother may die soon, sets out on a one-day pilgrimage to nine temples as a remedy. The official synopsis reads: Just two weeks before her birthday, he brings his ailing mother, along with his wife, brother, sister, and children, on the journey, moving through the splendor of Thai temple architecture. From one temple to the next, the nine family members continue their rituals while the grandmother of the family grows increasingly weary, both physically and mentally.
Kissada Kamyoung and Palme d’Or winner Apichatpong Weerasethakul (Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives) produced the film alongside co-producers Thomas Hakim and Julien Graff of petit chaos, the company behind Payal Kapadia’s award-winning All We Imagine as Light.
“The story comes from my own journey with my family to temple trips. I grew up with quite a religious family, so going to temples is something very common for us,” Chidgasornpongse told Deadline during an interview at Cannes.
The full list of co-producers on 9 Temples To Heaven, alongside Hakim and Graff, includes Weijie Lai, Renée Hansen Mlodyszewski, Yue Huang, Charlie Kwong-Chun, Fung Giovanni Rahmadeva, and Axel Hadiningrat.
You can check out our full interview with Chidgasornpongse and Hakim from Cannes here.
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