December 18, 20241 yr From the Straits Times Thai tear-jerker How To Make Millions Before Grandma Dies has made the shortlist in the Best International Feature Film category at the 97th Academy Awards, it was announced in Los Angeles on Dec 17. The film that became a sensation in Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia joins 14 other non-English-language films on the shortlist. The family drama about a cancer-stricken grandmother (Usha Seamkhum) and her scheming grandson (Putthipong “Billkin” Assaratanakul) is the first Thai movie to make the Oscars shortlist in the Best International Feature Film category, formerly known as Best Foreign Language Film. It is also the only title from Asia among the top 15 picks. The entry from the United Kingdom, Santosh, is a Hindi-language film set in rural India. Singapore’s entry to the category, La Luna, a Malay-language comedy-drama directed by Singaporean film-maker M. Raihan Halim, failed to make the cut. The remaining contenders in the category are I’m Still Here (Brazil), Universal Language (Canada), Waves (Czech Republic), The Girl With The Needle (Denmark), Emilia Perez (France), The Seed Of The Sacred Fig (Germany), Touch (Iceland), Kneecap (Ireland), Vermiglio (Italy), Flow (Latvia), Armand (Norway), From Ground Zero (Palestine) and Dahomey (Senegal). The film is the box-office champion of 2024 in its home country and has earned nearly US$50 million (S$67 million) globally. In Singapore, it grossed $5.86 million, making it the highest-earning Thai film of all time and the highest-grossing Asian title of 2024. Across South-east Asia, the film has set box-office records for a Thai production. It is also an outlier in the Thai film industry, a regional powerhouse known for its horror and comedy exports.
January 23, 20251 yr Active Members I would like to see it. Looks good! The Hollywood Reporter has an encouraging article about the film. https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/how-to-make-millions-before-grandma-dies-review-thai-oscar-entry-1236099938/
January 24, 20251 yr Excellent film. I watched it on New Year's Eve. Truly heartwarming and enlightening about how the Chinese-Thai population view death - which I found to be culturally enriching since 93% of the Thai population identify as being Buddhist. Here is what I posted about this film over in my Cebu, Philippines trip report: I watched the wonderful Thai movie = “How to Make Millions before Grandma Dies”. I HIGHLY recommend this heart warming very original Thai film. Title of this film in Thai is, "Lahn Mah" หลานม่า which literally means "Grandma's Grandchild". I found the film culturally enriching as it gives the perspective of death in Thailand from the Chinese-Thai point of view. Film is available on in Netflix, as well as in Google movies. It has been nominated for the Oscars international shortlist. Read more about it here: https://variety.com/2024/film/news/how-to-make-millions-before-grandma-dies-oscar-shortlist-thailand-1236256031/ On 2 March 2025, we will be told if it has won the actual Oscar award.
May 16, 20251 yr The rebirth of this wonderful Thai film = "Lahn Mah" หลานม่า Has been announced. Miramax wants to make an American version - so I fear that it might not be as good as the original Thai version. However, the original producer seems to be optimistic. Below is the related story: https://deadline.com/2025/05/miramax-remake-how-to-make-millions-before-grandma-dies-1236395463/
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.