Renoir, a film with Singapore participation, will compete for the top Palme d’Or prize at the Cannes Film Festival, which runs from May 13 to 24 in France.

Another film with Singapore participation, the social satire A Useful Ghost, has been selected for the Critics’ Week section of the festival.

Renoir, co-produced by Singapore-based Akanga Film Asia with support from the Infocomm Media Development Authority’s (IMDA) Singapore Film Commission, is the second film with Singapore participation to compete for the Palme d’Or, after local film-maker Eric Khoo’s drama My Magic (2008).

Directed by Chie Hayakawa, the Japan-Singapore-France-Philippines-Indonesia production is set in 1987 Tokyo. The coming-of-age story follows Fuki (Yui Suzuki), an 11-year-old girl living with a terminally ill father and a harried mother.

It is Japanese film-maker Hayakawa’s second feature, after the critically acclaimed Plan 75 (2022), a speculative film set in a future Japan that has enacted dystopian policies to cope with its ageing population. It won the Camera d’Or Special Mention for Best First Feature at Cannes in 2022.

Producer Fran Borgia, founder of Akanga Film Asia and a producer on Renoir, says his team is “truly excited” to be part of the film.

“Working with Chie has been an absolute pleasure, and we believe this is a significant contribution to our film industry. We’re confident that audiences here will appreciate a well-crafted, made-with-Singapore production,” he says in a press statement.

The film will be released in Japan on June 20, 2025, with a Singapore release date to be announced.

Other talents with a local connection include Singapore-based cinematographer Hideo Urata, a senior lecturer in film at Lasalle College of the Arts who also worked on Plan 75.

Singaporeans in the project include colourist Mark Song, with visual effects and digital cinema mastering handled by two Singapore-headquartered facilities, Infinite Frameworks and Mocha Chai Laboratories, respectively.

A Useful Ghost is co-produced by Singapore-based Momo Film Co, with support from IMDA. The Thailand-Singapore-France co-production is directed by Thai film-maker Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke, making his feature debut.

It tells the story of Nat, played by Thai actress Davika Hoorne (Pee Mak, 2013). Following her death from dust pollution, Nat returns in the form of a vacuum cleaner. As the appliance, she forms an unconventional bond with her still-li...