Sompot Chidgasornpongse spent more than two decades as assistant director to Apichatpong Weerasethakul, working on films including “Tropical Malady,” “Syndromes and a Century,” “Cemetery of Splendour” and “Memoria.” Now he is at Cannes with a feature of his own: “9 Temples to Heaven,” an ensemble drama about a Thai family’s one-day pilgrimage to nine temples, world premiering in Directors’ Fortnight and in competition for the Caméra d’Or.
The film follows Sakol, who – after a fortune teller warns him his elderly mother may die soon – gathers the family for a ritual journey across Thailand’s temple landscape. Produced by Kick The Machine Films and At A Time in Thailand, with international co-production from E&W Films (Singapore), petit chaos (France), Needle in the Haystack (Norway), La Fonte (China), Square One Film (Hong Kong) and Qun Films (Indonesia), the picture has international sales handled by Playtime.
The story took root in Chidgasornpongse’s own family rituals. “Making offerings at 9 temples within 1 day, which my family and many Thais also practice, feels like one of the ultimate manifestations of those beliefs,” he says. “Though my critical side has always questioned the effectiveness of the promised outcomes, I continued to practice those rituals, sometimes simply to please my family, or to give myself peace of mind. I’m interested in those contradictions.”
