South Korea’s tense thriller “No Other Choice,” Thailand’s surreal “A Useful Ghost” and Taiwan’s “Left-Handed Girl” headline Asia’s submissions to the 98th Academy Awards for best international feature film. They are joined by Vietnam’s “Mua do (Red Rain),” Japan’s “Kokuho,” Singapore’s “Stranger Eyes,” Cambodia’s “Tenement,” China’s “Dead to Rights,” Indonesia’s “Sore: Wife from the Future,” Hong Kong’s “The Last Dance,” India’s “Homebound,” Nepal’s “Anjila” and the Philippines’ “Magellan” confirmed ahead of the Academy’s submission deadline on Wednesday.
“A Useful Ghost,” directed by Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke, premiered at Cannes Critics’ Week in May and became the first Thai film to win the section’s Grand Prix. Park Chan-wook’s “No Other Choice,” adapted from Donald Westlake’s novel The Ax, is a dark comedy thriller that premiered at the Venice International Film Festival before opening in Busan. Taiwan’s “Left-Handed Girl,” directed by Shih-Ching Tsou and co-written with Sean Baker, also premiered at Cannes Critics’ Week where it won the Gan Foundation Award for Distribution.
The rest of the region’s submissions span history, social drama and experimental storytelling. Vietnam’s “Mua do (Red Rain)” revisits the 81-day Battle of Quang Tri in 1972 through a large-scale war epic while China’s “Dead to Rights” depicts civilians in Nanjing compelled to assist a Japanese photographer during the 1937 massacre. Cambodia’s “Tenement” sets its horror in a crumbling apartment block and Indonesia’s “Sore: Wife from the Future” uses speculative fiction to examine relationships in contemporary society.
From South Asia, India’s “Homebound” follows two friends whose dream of joining the police collapses during the pandemic and Nepal’s “Anjila” portrays the rise of women’s football through the story of goalkeeper Anjila Tumbapo Subba. Other entries highlight cultural memory, with Hong Kong’s “The Last Dance” tracing a wedding planner turned funeral worker, Japan’s “Kokuho” exploring the preservation of national heritage, Singapore’s “Stranger Eyes” reflecting on urban identity and the Philippines’ “Magellan” from Lav Diaz reframing colonial voyages from a local perspective.
The Academy will announce the shortlist on Dec. 16 with final nominations to follow in January 2026.
This story is part of The Rebel Yellow Newsletter — a bold weekly newsletter from the creators of NextShark, reclaiming our stories and celebrating Asian American voices.
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