The first Thai film at Cannes in a decade and features from Malaysia, Vietnam, Indonesia and Singapore are headed to the market from Southeast Asia.
Festival
A Useful Ghost (Thai-Fr-Sing-Ger)
Dir. Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke
This supernatural drama will premiere in Critics’ Week as the first Thai film selected on the Croisette in 10 years. Local superstar Davika Hoorne from box-office hit Pee Mak plays a dead woman who returns to her husband by possessing a vacuum cleaner and offers to be a useful ghost and get rid of useless spirits. The debut feature is produced by Cattleya Paosrijaroen and Soros Sukhum of 185 Films, alongside Haut Les Mains, Momo Film and Mayana Film. Director Ratchapoom’s 2020 short film Red Aninsri; Or, Tiptoeing On The Still Trembling Berlin Wall won the junior jury award at Locarno.
Contact: Best Friend Forever
Market
Baran: Inheritance (Malay)
Dir. Joel Soh
Producer-turned-director Soh’s first feature has been selected for the Frontieres Platform’s buyers showcase in the market. The Malay folklore horror is about an estranged son who returns to care for his ailing father and discovers he must succeed him as the keeper of a demon entity or put his family in peril. It marks Soh’s transition from commercial blockbusters to independent cinema, as he is best known for producing the Polis Evo film trilogy, which has grossed more than $22.3m (myr96m) in Malaysia.
Contact: Blackflag
Betting With Ghost 2 (Viet)
Dir. Trung Lun
Following the success of the original film, which grossed $5m (vnd128m) in Vietnam last year, this second instalment marks the return of director Lun and main cast Tuan Tran, Hoai Linh and Diep Bao Ngoc. The next chapter of the ghost comedy follows a group of strangers who deliver the dead body of a celebrity to her child at home, because they want to steal her precious ring. The film is again produced by Bluebells Studios, a sister company of Mockingbird Pictures, and is scheduled for release around September 2 for Vietnam’s Independence Day national holiday.
Contact: Phong Duong, Mockingbird Pictures
The Fatal Dealz (Viet)
Dir. Oscar Duong
Billed as Vietnam’s first crime thriller about AI-driven fraud, this feature directing debut is about a struggling financial analyst who discovers a mobile app called Dealz that offers rewards for tasks, and soon finds himself part of a dangerous game. Duong worked in casting for years before pursuing a career in screenwriting. His writing credits include 2022’s Muoi: The Curse Returns, which was directed by Hang Trinh, executive producer of The Fatal Dealz through her production company Silver Moonlight Entertainment.
Contact: Skyline
The Lake (Viet)
Dir. Tran Huu Tan
This psychological horror follows a wedding planner who must find a way to rebuild her reputation after a groom dies during a photoshoot at a lake. The appearance of a doppelganger also causes her to lose her sense of identity. The story is inspired by an urban legend about the Stone Lake as a site of unexplained deaths and disappearances. It is produced by Vietnam’s horror production house ProductionQ, which is behind local hits Vietnamese Horror Story and The Sisters, both directed by Tan and produced by Hoang Quan.
Contact: V Pictures
Melati: Revenge In Blood (Sing-Indo-Tai)
Dir. Mike Wiluan
Following 2023 Indonesian genre hit Losmen Melati, which comprised a series and feature film, director Wiluan returns with his main cast, Alexandra Gottardo, Dwi Sasono, Fandy Christian and Samuel Panjaitan. The spin-off follows the only escapee of a haunted house who seeks revenge by assembling a squad of killers to take out the people responsible for his entrapment. It is again produced by Singapore- and Indonesia-based Infinite Studios and Taiwan’s Catchplay, which also handles sales for Southeast Asia, Taiwan, mainland China and Hong Kong through its subsidiary Screenworks Asia; the rest of the world is handled by SC Films. Rock Sukun, Koko Entertainment and My Story Entertainment are among the backers.
Contact: Fumie Suzuki Lancaster, SC Films
Omukade (Thai)
Dirs. Chalot Krailerdmongkol, Pakphum Wongjinda
Set during the Second World War in Thailand, this creature feature follows Japanese soldiers, Allied PoWs and Thai locals who find themselves trapped in an abandoned town that is haunted by a monstrous predator. They have no choice but to abandon hostilities and work together to survive. The cast is led by Narilya Gulmongkolpech from The Medium and Netflix series Master Of The House. Directors Chalot and Pakphum are the team behind The One Hundred (aka Creepy Crawly). Omukade received post-production recipient from Thai culture agency THACCA.
Contact: Panu Aree, Neramitnung Film
Onethong (Thai)
Dir. Piyakan Bootprasert
This big-budget fantasy epic centres on a modern-day woman who is transported into the body of the titular Onethong. She must find a way to escape the latter’s tragic fate — as a character destined for execution in classic Thai folk poem Khun Chang Khun Phaen. The cast is led by Waruntorn Paonil from Netflix original series Tomorrow And I, Prin Suparat and Kanawut Traipipattanapong. Producer is Julian Jeong, former CEO of CJ Entertainment, and the film is backed by Black Dragon Entertainment, a subsidiary of conglomerate CP Group, with the support of THACCA’s new Thai film fund. Piyakan previously directed 2023’s Long Live Love!.
Contact: Pornpimol Kuek, Black Dragon Entertainment
Replace Me (Thai)
Dir. Kongkiat Komesiri
This horror thriller reunites director Kongkiat with Thai star Ananda Everingham, following their successful Khun Pan film trilogy. The story follows a young man with a mysterious illness who meets a tormented spirit that turns out to be his forbidden lover in a past life. Both must travel into the realm between life and death to redeem their souls or be trapped for eternity. Suppasit Jongcheveevat from boys’ love series TharnType: The Series co-stars. Everingham also serves as producer along with Napassarin Prompila through their company Halo Productions. The project has received post-production funding from THACCA.
Contact: Halo Productions
Sleep No More (Indo-Japan-Sing-Ger)
Dir. Edwin
Following his 2021 Locarno Golden Leopard winner Vengeance Is Mine, All Others Pay Cash, director Edwin’s latest is a body horror revolving around two sisters who attempt to uncover the truth behind their mother’s sudden death at a haunted factory, while their brother becomes the target of a ghostly figure searching for a vessel to inhabit. The cast includes Rachel Amanda, Lutesha and Iqbaal Ramadhan. Producers are Meiske Taurisia and Muhammad Zaidy from Indonesia’s Palari Films, with Atsuko Ohno, Anthony Chen and Roshanak Behesht Nedjad as co-producers.
Contact: Showbox
The Violinist (Sing-Sp-It)
Dirs. Ervin Han, Raul Garcia
Spanning nearly a century, this 2D animated feature is a sweeping drama that follows two childhood friends whose lives are torn apart by the Japanese occupation and years of upheaval. It is inspired by Han’s award-winning 2015 short film The Violin, which chronicled Singapore’s transformation. The Violinist is produced by Robot Playground Media, TV On Producciones and Altri Occhi. Garcia is a veteran animator who worked on Disney films The Lion King, Aladdin and The Hunchback Of Notre Dame. The composer is Golden Horse winner Ricky Ho. The project will take part in Annecy’s upcoming WiP Features session.
Contact: Alexandre René, France tv distribution
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