Sakol receives a grim prophecy that his mother may soon die. There is only one way to save her: visit nine temples and make offerings in a single day, earning the greatest possible merit and, in turn, extending her life. Sakol gathers the family and sets off with his mother. But their journey soon hits a snag when his elderly mother becomes exhausted and can go no further. Anxious to find a way to continue, the family begins to search for a solution. This debut feature by Sompot Chidgasornpongse, who has served as an assistant director on many of Apichatpong Weerasethakul’s films, was selected for the Directors’ Fortnight at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival. His intimate observation of Thai society, already evident in his previous documentary Railway Sleepers (2016), carries over naturally into his fiction debut. Differences in outlook on life and attitudes toward religion, along with emotions that have built up over time, gradually create friction among the family members. Yet through it all, the bonds of family become the force that carries their journey - and the film itself - through to the end.
Stills5
Film details
Director
Sompot CHIDGASORNPONGSE
Country/Region
Thailand, Singapore, France, Norway, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Qatar
Sompot Chidgasornpongse earned his MFA in Film/Video from the California Institute of the Arts. While working as an assistant director on several of Apichatpong Weerasethakul’s films, including Tropical Malady (2004) and Syndromes and a Century (2006), he continued to make his own short films, which were invited to numerous international film festivals, including Rotterdam and Oberhausen. His first feature-length documentary, Railway Sleepers (2016), was screened in the Wide Angle section at the Busan Internationa Film Festival and at the Berlinale Forum. 9 Temples to Heaven is his first dramatic feature and was screened at the 2026 Cannes Directors’ Fortnight.
From Busan International Film Festival 2026, No. 31
