Cannes Winner ‘A Useful Ghost’ Takes Top Honors at QCinema in Philippines

"A Useful Ghost" Continues to Haunt Festivals After Cannes Win

The 13th QCinema International Film Festival in the Philippines has come to a close, with Thai debut feature "A Useful Ghost" taking top honors. The film, directed by Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke, tells the story of a wife's spirit reincarnated as a vacuum cleaner amidst environmental and family struggles.

The jury, comprised of Filipino actor John Arcilla, Karlovy Vary programmer Martin Horyna, Epic Media's Bianca Balbuena-Liew, and journalist Liz Shackleton, praised the film for its seamless blend of emotional ambiguity and visual consistency. "A Useful Ghost" won the Asian Next Wave best picture and artistic achievement award for production design.

Winning the top prize at QCinema International Film Festival comes on the heels of its success at Cannes Critics' Week, where it took home the grand prix. The film's victory is a testament to Boonbunchachoke's skill in weaving together complex themes and emotions with visual consistency.

Other major winners included Chie Hayakawa's "Renoir," which took best director, while Yui Suzuki won best lead performance for her role as 11-year-old Fuki Okita. Fujimoto Akio's "Lost Land" received the grand jury prize, and Janus Victoria's "Diamonds in the Sand" earned best screenplay.

The festival also recognized several debut films, including Tan Siyou's "Amoeba," which took home the Netpac jury prize, and Reza Rahadian's "On Your Lap," which won best Asian first film. Additionally, RainbowQC, the festival's LGBTQ competition, honored Divine Sung's "Summer's Camera" with a special mention.

The festival's artistic director Ed Lejano expressed his enthusiasm for the awarded films, stating that they reflect QCinema's continued role as a platform of discovery. The festival marked an important milestone for the Philippines, as Quezon City was recently designated a UNESCO Creative City for Film, becoming the first city in the country and joining Asian peers like Yamagata and Busan in this distinction.

Umm I dont get why "A Useful Ghost" is winning all these awards... its just a movie about a vacuum cleaner that comes back to life lolol what's so special about it? I mean don't get me wrong, the production design was on point and Yui Suzuki's performance was amazing, but it feels like some people are giving this film way too much credit I think QCinema should be recognizing more diverse films and not just sticking to weird indie stuff. What do u think tho?

Ugh, festivals are just so overrated... I mean, "A Useful Ghost" is cool and all, but it's not like I haven't seen a million movies about ghosts and reincarnation already . And don't even get me started on the awards – Asian Next Wave best picture? What does that even mean? Is it just a bunch of marketing nonsense to make people feel good about themselves?

And what's with all these award ceremonies? Can't we just have a decent discussion about movies without having to give out prizes and shoutouts? It's like, can't we just let the films speak for themselves? I mean, I guess it's cool that "A Useful Ghost" won at QCinema, but next thing you know they'll be doing awards at every. single. festival. ever.

Anyway, on to more interesting things... has anyone seen any of these other movies that won awards?

idk why this movie is so hyped ... it's just about a ghost who becomes a vacuum cleaner lmao ... i mean, the director did some good stuff with the visuals and all, but it's not like the story is original or anything. I also don't get what the fuss is about the actress winning best lead performance for playing an 11-year-old ... it sounds kinda childish to me. the fact that a thai movie won top prize at a philippine festival is cool, i guess, but it's not like we haven't seen this before ... anyway, congrats to the winners, i hope they enjoy their newfound success

I'm so hyped that QCinema finally got some international recognition ! I've been saying it for years, the Philippines has an amazing film scene and "A Useful Ghost" is proof . The cinematography is insane, I mean who wouldn't want to watch a ghost reincarnated as a vacuum cleaner? But seriously, the fact that it won at both Cannes and QCinema shows how well-rounded the film is. I love how it tackles complex themes like environmentalism and family struggles in such an emotional way . Can we please get more of this kind of storytelling in our local films?!

Ugh, what even is QCinema International Film Festival anymore? It's like they just invite random Thai films to take home awards and call it a day . I mean, "A Useful Ghost" was cute and all, but the way it won top honors is just so... predictable . The jury's praise for its emotional ambiguity and visual consistency is super vague - can't they at least give some specific examples?

And what's with all these awards for production design? Can we just get a good ol' fashioned Hollywood-style award ceremony with fancy dresses and red carpet walks? Instead, it's like they're trying to make it seem all artsy and independent... like QCinema International Film Festival is some kind of underground film movement or something .

And don't even get me started on the rest of the winners - Chie Hayakawa's "Renoir" just because she won best director? More like because she was already a famous director . Yui Suzuki's performance was nice, I guess... but it's not like she broke any new ground or anything .

I swear, sometimes I feel like the QCinema International Film Festival is just a bunch of fancy-pants film critics giving out awards to whoever they want to give out an award to . Where's the transparency? Where's the accountability? It's all just so... confusing .