Thailand Selects Cannes Prize Winner "A Useful Ghost" for Oscar Race

Thailand has selected “A Useful Ghost” (Pee Chai Dai Ka) as its submission for the international feature film category at the 98th Academy Awards.

Directed by debutant Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke, “A Useful Ghost” follows March, who is mourning his wife Nat after she dies from dust pollution. When her spirit returns by possessing a vacuum cleaner, their unconventional human-ghost relationship faces resistance from his family. To prove her worth and their love, Nat offers to cleanse a factory haunted by the ghost of a worker whose death shut down operations.

The film ingeniously reimagines the ghost story as a satirical romantic comedy, a deliberate departure from Thailand’s renowned horror cinema traditions.

It debuted at the Cannes Critics’ Week earlier this year, where it won the grand prize.

The film addresses pressing environmental concerns in Thailand, particularly dust pollution, which has become a severe issue over the past decade.

“We have dust pollution every winter. People will start complaining about the dust quality in the neighborhood, especially in Bangkok and in the north,” Boonbunchachoke said in an interview with Variety.

The film’s Thai title carries a dual meaning in local slang, where “dust” also refers to “people with no power.”

The selection committee, composed of industry professionals including producers, directors, cinema operators, film distributors and media representatives, chose the title from a field of 57 eligible Thai films released between October 1, 2024, and September 30, 2025.

Thailand has been submitting to the category since 1984 but has yet to secure a nomination. Last year’s entry, Pat Boonnitipat’s hit film “How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies,” was shortlisted.

The Oscar international feature shortlist will be announced on December 16 and the final five nominees will be announced on January 22.