Singapore has chosen local filmmaker Kirsten Tan’s debut feature Pop Aye to rep the Little Red Dot as its submission for the Foreign Language Film category at the 90th Academy Awards next year. Selected by the Singapore Film Commission, which is part of Infocomm Media Development Authority, the film is a tale of self-discovery set entirely in Thailand.
The story follows veteran Thai singer-songwriter Thaneth Warakulnukroh as a down-and-out architect who reunites with his childhood elephant and heads across the Thai countryside on a journey in search of their old home.
Earlier this year, Pop Aye had already made waves in the US by taking home the World Cinema Dramatic Special Jury Award for Screenwriting at Sundance Film Festival — making Tan the first Singaporean to win an award at the fest.
So far, the title has been screened at more than 30 film festivals around the globe. If you still haven’t had a chance to watch it, it’s currently showing at The Projector — the next screening is on Sunday.
Check out the trailer below.
Other regional contenders on the list of foreign language Oscar submissions include Hong Kong’s Mad World by Wong Chun, Philippines’ Birdshot by Mikhail Red, Thailand’s By The Time It Gets Dark by Anocha Suwichakornpong, and Indonesia’s Turah by Wicaksono Wisnu Legowo.
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