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Straits Times
22-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Straits Times
Thai film A Useful Ghost wins Cannes Critics' Week top prize
Comedy-fantasy A Useful Ghost, made with Singapore participation, has won the grand prize at the 2025 Critics' Week sidebar of the 2025 Cannes Film Festival. PHOTO: MOMO FILM CO Thai-language comedy-fantasy A Useful Ghost has won the top prize of the Grand Prix in Critics' Week, an independent sidebar of the 2025 Cannes Film Festival. Directed by Thai film-maker Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke making his feature debut, it follows March (played by Thai actor Witsarut Himmarat), who is grieving the death of his wife Nat (Thai actress Davika Hoorne). After her reincarnation as a vacuum cleaner, they rekindle their relationship. The film is produced by companies from Thailand, France and Germany. Singapore-based Momo Film Co is also a co-producer, with support from the Infocomm Media Development Authority's (IMDA) Singapore Film Commission (SFC). The Cannes Film Festival, held in France, opened on May 13 and will end May 24. Ms Tan Si En, founder and producer at Momo Film Co, says her team is deeply honoured by the recognition A Useful Ghost has received at Cannes' Critics' Week. 'This award is a celebration of the creative synergy between Singapore and our international partners. It shows the power that South-east Asian stories have to resonate globally. Our mission has always been to champion new voices and perspectives from the region, and this win affirms our collaborative approach,' she says in a press statement. In 2023, Malay-language horror film Tiger Stripes (2023), the debut effort by Malaysian director Amanda Nell Eu, won the Grand Prix at Cannes' Critics' Week, marking the first time that a film from South-east Asia had won the prize. Tiger Stripes is co-produced by firms from Malaysia, Indonesia, Taiwan and Singapore. Singapore-based Akanga Film Asia co-produced it, with support from the SFC. Other made-with-Singapore projects at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival include the drama Renoir, directed by Japanese film-maker Chie Hayakawa and co-produced by Akanga Film Asia. The Japanese-language film will compete for the top festival prize of the Palme d'Or. Before The Sea Forgets, a short film by Vietnamese film-maker Le Ngoc Duy, was also selected to screen at the independent sidebar event Directors' Fortnight. Singapore-based production houses 13 Little Pictures and WBSB Films are co-producers. Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
AsiaOne
09-05-2025
- Entertainment
- AsiaOne
3 made-with-Singapore films selected for 2025 Cannes Film Festival , Entertainment News
The Singapore film industry is getting more recognition globally, with three made-with-Singapore films being spotlit at the 78th Cannes Film Festival this year. In an announcement today (May 9), the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) announced the Singapore co-produced film Renoir clinched a spot in the main competition for the prestigious Palme d'Or award, marking the country's strongest showing at the film festival since Eric Khoo's My Magic in 2008. This year, a record 2,909 submissions were sent in worldwide with only 21 films selected. Renoir, co-produced by Singapore-based Akanga Film Asia, tells the story of a Japanese girl coping with her terminally ill father and stressed-out working mother, while encountering various adults dealing with their own struggles. The second made-with-Singapore film to have a place at Cannes is the drama and fantasy A Useful Ghost, which will be screened in the Critics' Week section. Co-produced by Singapore-based Momo Film Co, the film follows the story of a wife who dies from dust pollution and unexpectedly returns in the form of a vacuum cleaner unravelling an unconventional human-ghost love story. The third project to be featured at the festival is the drama and romance short film Before the Sea Forgets, which has been selected for the Directors' Fortnight showcase. The Singapore production by 13 Little Pictures and WBSB Films is set in Vietnam and about a young man who is haunted by doubts about his lover's faithfulness. He encounters a ghost while searching for a soldier's grave, forcing him to face uncomfortable truths about his relationship. Renoir and A Useful Ghost were awarded IMDA's Go-Global Grant and Southeast Asia (SEA) Co-Production Grant respectively, under the Media Talent Progression Programme. The grants enable Singaporean talent in the media industry to work with international filmmakers and productions. In total, there were 30 Singaporean talents working in the production, sound, editing, art department and casting teams in both films. At last year's festival, Chiang Wei Liang's Mongrel received the Camera d'Or Special Mention. Renoir will be released in Japan on June 20 with a Singapore release date to soon be announced. A Useful Ghost will also have its Singapore release date announced at a later date. [[nid:717794]] No part of this article can be reproduced without permission from AsiaOne.
CNA
09-05-2025
- Entertainment
- CNA
3 made-with-Singapore films selected for Cannes Film Festival 2025
Three made-with-Singapore films will be presented at this year's Cannes Film Festival, which runs from May 13 to 24 in France. These are: Renoir, which will be in the main Competition and competing for the top Palme d"Or award; A Useful Ghost, which will be screened at the Critics' Week segment; and the short film Before The Sea Forgets, which is at the Directors' Fortnight. Renoir marks the second time a film with involvement from Singapore has made it to the main competition, 17 years after Singaporean director Eric Khoo's My Magic in 2008. It will be up against 20 other films. Previous Palme d'Or winners include 2019's Parasite and 1994's Pulp Fiction. Directed Japanese filmmaker Chie Hayakawa and co-produced by Singapore-based Akanga Film Asia, Renoir follows the story of a Japanese girl as she copes with a terminally ill father and stressed-out working mother while encountering various adults dealing with their own struggles. Its Japanese cinematographer, Hideho Urata, is currently a senior lecturer at Lasalle College of the Arts and has also worked on the award-winning Singapore film A Land Imagined. The film, which also involves producers from Japan, France, the Philippines and Indonesia, is set to be released in Japan on Jun 20. A Singapore release date has yet to be announced. Meanwhile, A Useful Ghost is directed by Thailand's Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke and co-produced by Singapore-based Momo Film Co, along with French and Thai counterparts. It's 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. The Singapore release date for the film will be announced later. Singaporeans involved in the film include sound designer Lim Ting Li and product designer, Sim Hao Jie. Both Renoir and A Useful Ghost received support from the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA), via its Go-Global Grant and Southeast Asia Co-Production Grant, respectively, under the IMDA's Media Talent Progression Programme. A total of 30 Singapore talents were involved in both films, including production, sound, editing, art department and casting. The short film Before the Sea Forgets by Vietnamese director Le Ngoc Duy was produced by Singapore production houses 13 Little Pictures and WBSB Films. It follows a young man in Vietnam haunted by doubts about his lover's faithfulness. His encounter with a ghost, when he searches for a soldier's grave, forces him to face uncomfortable truths about his own relationship. The cinematography, colour grading and post-production for the film were by Singaporean co-producer Looi Wan Ping, local colorist Eugene Seah and production house The Chop Shop Post, respectively. Last year, Singaporean director Chiang Wei Liang's film, Mongrel, received a Camera d'Or Special Mention. 'As Singapore marks its 60th birthday this year, we celebrate nearly three decades of showcasing Made-with-SG content and local talent at Cannes Film Market,' said Yvonne Tang, assistant chief executive of IMDA. 'Cannes remains a key platform for Singapore filmmakers and producers to market their stories globally and build international partnerships. Our strong presence here demonstrates how Singapore, despite its size, consistently produces brilliant storytellers who can compete on the world stage.'
New Paper
08-05-2025
- Entertainment
- New Paper
Made-with-Singapore films earn prestigious Cannes Festival spots
Renoir, a film with Singapore participation, will compete for the top Palme d'Or prize at the Cannes Film Festival, which runs from May 13 to 24 in France. Another film with Singapore participation, the social satire A Useful Ghost, has been selected for the Critics' Week section of the festival. Renoir, co-produced by Singapore-based Akanga Film Asia with support from the Infocomm Media Development Authority's (IMDA) Singapore Film Commission, is the second film with Singapore participation to compete for the Palme d'Or, after local film-maker Eric Khoo's drama My Magic (2008). Directed by Chie Hayakawa, the Japan-Singapore-France-Philippines-Indonesia production is set in 1987 Tokyo. The coming-of-age story follows Fuki (Yui Suzuki), an 11-year-old girl living with a terminally ill father and a harried mother. It is Japanese film-maker Hayakawa's second feature, after the critically acclaimed Plan 75 (2022), a speculative film set in a future Japan that has enacted dystopian policies to cope with its ageing population. It won the Camera d'Or Special Mention for Best First Feature at Cannes in 2022. Producer Fran Borgia, founder of Akanga Film Asia and a producer on Renoir, says his team is "truly excited" to be part of the film. "Working with Chie has been an absolute pleasure, and we believe this is a significant contribution to our film industry. We're confident that audiences here will appreciate a well-crafted, made-with-Singapore production," he says in a press statement. The film will be released in Japan on June 20, 2025, with a Singapore release date to be announced. Other talents with a local connection include Singapore-based cinematographer Hideo Urata, a senior lecturer in film at Lasalle College of the Arts who also worked on Plan 75. Singaporeans in the project include colourist Mark Song, with visual effects and digital cinema mastering handled by two Singapore-headquartered facilities, Infinite Frameworks and Mocha Chai Laboratories, respectively. A Useful Ghost is co-produced by Singapore-based Momo Film Co, with support from IMDA. The Thailand-Singapore-France co-production is directed by Thai film-maker Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke, making his feature debut. It tells the story of Nat, played by Thai actress Davika Hoorne (Pee Mak, 2013). Following her death from dust pollution, Nat returns in the form of a vacuum cleaner. As the appliance, she forms an unconventional bond with her still-living husband. A Useful Ghost tells the story of Nat, played by Thai actress Davika Hoorne. PHOTO: MOMO FILM CO Tan Si En, founder of Momo Film Co and producer on A Useful Ghost, says the film embodies her label's spirit of "specificity in storytelling that can resonate universally". "We are thrilled to see A Useful Ghost selected for Critics' Week. As we continue to stake out new territories for emerging South-east Asian film-makers, projects like A Useful Ghost remind us of the power of storytelling to bridge cultures and inspire change," she says in a press statement. Other Singapore talents involved in A Useful Ghost include award-winning sound designer and supervising sound editor Lim Ting Li, while industrial designer Sim Hao Jie helped create the film's main prop of the vacuum cleaner. A Singapore release date for A Useful Ghost will be announced at a later date. Previously, made-with-Singapore films selected for Critics' Week include the horror work Tiger Stripes (2023), the short film Jodilerks Dela Cruz: Employee Of The Month (2017), and the dramas A Yellow Bird (2016) and Sandcastle (2010).
Straits Times
24-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Straits Times
Made-with-Singapore films to screen at 2025 Cannes Film Festival
Made-with-Singapore film Renoir to compete for top prize at the Cannes Film Festival Renoir, a film with Singapore participation, will compete for the top Palme d'Or prize at the Cannes Film Festival, which runs from May 13 to 24 in France. Another film with Singapore participation, the social satire A Useful Ghost, has been selected for the Critics' Week section of the festival. Renoir, co-produced by Singapore-based Akanga Film Asia with support from the Infocomm Media Development Authority's (IMDA) Singapore Film Commission, is the second film with Singapore participation to compete for the Palme d'Or, after local film-maker Eric Khoo's drama My Magic (2008). Directed by Chie Hayakawa, the Japan-Singapore-France-Philippines-Indonesia production is set in 1987 Tokyo. The coming-of-age story follows Fuki (Yui Suzuki), an 11-year-old girl living with a terminally ill father and a harried mother. It is Japanese film-maker Hayakawa's second feature, after the critically acclaimed Plan 75 (2022), a speculative film set in a future Japan that has enacted dystopian policies to cope with its ageing population. It won the Camera d'Or Special Mention for Best First Feature at Cannes in 2022. Producer Fran Borgia, founder of Akanga Film Asia and a producer on Renoir, says his team is 'truly excited' to be part of the film. 'Working with Chie has been an absolute pleasure, and we believe this is a significant contribution to our film industry. We're confident that audiences here will appreciate a well-crafted, made-with-Singapore production,' he says in a press statement. The film will be released in Japan on June 20, 2025, with a Singapore release date to be announced. Other talents with a local connection include Singapore-based cinematographer Hideo Urata, a senior lecturer in film at Lasalle College of the Arts who also worked on Plan 75. Singaporeans in the project include colourist Mark Song, with visual effects and digital cinema mastering handled by two Singapore-headquartered facilities, Infinite Frameworks and Mocha Chai Laboratories, respectively. A Useful Ghost is co-produced by Singapore-based Momo Film Co , with support from IMDA. The Thailand-Singapore-France co-production is directed by Thai film-maker Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke, making his feature debut. It tells the story of Nat, played by Thai actress Davika Hoorne (Pee Mak, 2013). Following her death from dust pollution, Nat returns in the form of a vacuum cleaner. As the appliance, she forms an unconventional bond with her still-living husband. A Useful Ghost tells the story of Nat, played by Thai actress Davika Hoorne. PHOTO: MOMO FILM CO Tan Si En, founder of Momo Film Co and producer on A Useful Ghost, says the film embodies her label's spirit of 'specificity in storytelling that can resonate universally'. 'We are thrilled to see A Useful Ghost selected for Critics' Week. As we continue to stake out new territories for emerging South-east Asian film-makers, projects like A Useful Ghost remind us of the power of storytelling to bridge cultures and inspire change,' she says in a press statement. Other Singapore talents involved in A Useful Ghost include award-winning sound designer and supervising sound editor Lim Ting Li, while industrial designer Sim Hao Jie helped create the film's main prop of the vacuum cleaner. A Singapore release date for A Useful Ghost will be announced at a later date. Previously, made-with-Singapore films selected for Critics' Week include the horror work Tiger Stripes (2023), the short film Jodilerks Dela Cruz: Employee Of The Month (2017), and the dramas A Yellow Bird (2016) and Sandcastle (2010). Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
