Thai film "A Useful Ghost" wins grand prize at Cannes Critics’ Week
The Thai film "A Useful Ghost" has won the Grand Prize AMI Paris during the Critics’ Week (Semaine de la Critique) of the 78th Cannes Film Festival 2025.
It is the first Thai film in ten years to be honoured with a selection in this prestigious global festival’s competition section—and has successfully secured an award, the Thailand Creative Culture Agency (THACCA) announced on Thursday.
A Useful Ghost is a comedy-fantasy-horror produced by 185 Films and directed by Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke. The film stars Davika “Mai” Hoorne and Witsarut “Most” Himmarat.
The production is a co-production between Thailand, Singapore, France and Germany, supported by several organisations, including post-production funding from Thailand’s Ministry of Culture’s Department of Cultural Promotion, and grants from Singapore’s Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA).
The story follows a young man named March, who is grieving the recent death of his wife Nat, caused by air pollution. He later discovers that her spirit has returned by possessing a vacuum cleaner.
Meanwhile, the ghosts of factory workers begin haunting March’s mother’s factory, causing it to shut down. His family refuses to accept the unusual relationship between March and the spirit.
Nat attempts to convince them that their love can coexist and offers a solution to resolve the ghostly disturbances in the family factory by becoming a “useful ghost.” However, she must first rid the factory of the useless spirits.
Critics’ Week (Semaine de la Critique) is a competitive section that aims to discover emerging talents, providing a platform to spotlight first or second feature films by promising directors from around the world.
Initially, the prize was decided by film journalists from across the globe, who voted after viewing all the competing films. Since 2011, the jury has been composed of film critics instead.
Currently, the Critics’ Week award is judged by a panel of four experts from various fields including screenwriting, filmmaking, acting and programming, with a film director serving as the jury president.
“A Useful Ghost is a courageous and independent work that defies easy categorisation. It is a debut feature that playfully engages with genre, twists conventions, and presents a vision that is both deeply personal and universally relatable,” THACCA quoted the jury as saying.
“It is a cinematic world of ghosts and silence, yet it allows a voice to be heard—combining humour, political commentary, and profound humanity all at once.”
