Thailand has officially selected Sompot Chidgasornpongse’s family drama-comedy 9 Temples to Heaven as its candidate for the Best International Feature Film category at the upcoming Academy Awards. The announcement positions the film, which follows a large family’s frantic single-day pilgrimage across nine Buddhist temples, as the country’s representative in the global race for Oscar glory. The selection comes ahead of the film’s domestic theatrical release, scheduled for September 17, 2026.
The movie centers on an elderly grandmother, played by Amara Ramnarong, whose nine relatives - spanning multiple generations - decide to take her on a merit-making journey to nine temples in a single day. Their intention is to perform enough good deeds to prolong her life, but the plan quickly unravels when unexpected complications arise during the whirlwind tour. What begins as a spiritual mission transforms into a messy, heartfelt examination of family bonds, duty, and the limits of good intentions.
Chidgasornpongse, who also shares a writing credit on the project, directs a cast that includes Surachai Ningsanond as Sakol, Jirawut Chiwaruck as Pongpol, Yaneenan Jiraphatjittrin as Wimol, Klaichan Phunman as Anchalee, Sompot Songkampol as Tor, Poon Sirapob as Koon, and Yada Karnjanisakorn as Yam. The ensemble works through a narrative that balances comedic chaos with more sobering emotional beats, a tonal tightrope the director reportedly navigates with a light but steady hand. The film runs 140 minutes, a considerable length that allows the family’s exhausting, humorous, and at times tender odyssey to unfold at its own pace.
Thailand’s submission process historically favors films with strong local resonance and universal emotional appeal, and 9 Temples to Heaven appears to fit that mold. The premise - a family scrambling to honor tradition while wrestling with modern realities - speaks to a universal theme, but the specific rituals, temple settings, and merit-making practices ground it firmly in Thai culture. For international audiences, the film offers a window into a Buddhist practice rarely depicted with such granular detail on screen, while domestic viewers may recognize the recognizable pressure of familial obligation.
The choice also signals a shift toward more intimate, character-driven storytelling for Thailand’s Oscar entry. Recent years have seen the country submit a mix of historical epics, genre films, and social dramas, but 9 Temples to Heaven leans heavily on the kind of warm, observational humor that travels well across borders without sacrificing cultural specificity. The film’s gentle critique of performative piety - the idea that good deeds can be rushed, scheduled, and checked off like tasks - adds a layer of satire that should appeal to arthouse audiences.
While the film holds a TMDb rating of 0/10 - an indication that it has yet to accumulate enough reviews for meaningful assessment - the early buzz from Thailand’s selection committee suggests confidence in the project’s artistic merit. The choice was announced just over a week before the film’s theatrical debut, a timing that allows the Oscar submission to generate additional local interest in the release. Distributors will likely lean into the Academy recognition as a marketing hook, hoping to draw crowds who might otherwise overlook a quiet family drama in favor of bigger studio offerings.
For Chidgasornpongse, the selection marks a significant milestone. The director, known for his patient visual style and interest in everyday rituals, has crafted a film that uses a deceptively simple premise to explore deeper questions about mortality, faith, and the often comical disconnect between what people say they believe and how they actually behave. The grandmother’s journey becomes a mirror for the family’s own anxieties, and the film’s resolution - avoiding spoilers - suggests that the trip’s true purpose was never about temples at all.
As the Oscar race heats up, Thailand’s entry will face steep competition from dozens of other national submissions, many with higher profiles and bigger budgets. But 9 Temples to Heaven has one advantage that cannot be manufactured: a premise grounded in real cultural practice, rendered with enough humor and heart to potentially break through. The film’s fate at the Academy’s shortlist stage remains uncertain, but its selection already ensures that Thai cinema will have a visible representative in the conversation.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has yet to announce the full list of qualifying submissions, but 9 Temples to Heaven now joins a growing field of international contenders. For those who catch the film in theaters later this month, the Thai Oscar nod offers an early signal that this is a movie worth watching closely - not just for its awards potential, but for what it says about the lengths families will go to when they realize time is running out. Whether that realization brings them closer together or pushes them further apart is the question at the heart of Chidgasornpongse’s carefully observed, often funny, and occasionally moving film.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
