The film A Useful Ghost, directed by Thai filmmaker Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke, has won the Grand Prize at the 2025 Cannes Critics’ Week, an independent parallel section of the festival dedicated to discovering new talents in world cinema.

The jury, presided over by Spanish director Rodrigo Sorogoyen and composed of Jihane Bougrine, Josée Deshaies, Yulina Evina Bhara, and British actor Daniel Kaluuya, selected this original comedy-tinged drama as the standout of the selection.

Set in Thailand, Boonbunchachoke’s debut feature tells the story of a man grieving the death of his wife due to dust pollution. The narrative takes an unexpected turn when he discovers she has been reincarnated in a vacuum cleaner, allowing their emotional connection to be rekindled. The film was written by Boonbunchachoke and produced by Cattleya Paosrijeroen and Soros Sukhum for Thai production companies 185 Films and Tsixtysix, in co-production with Haut Les Mains Productions (France), Mayana Films (Germany), and Momo Film Co. (Singapore). World sales are handled by Best Friend Forever.

The Jury Prize went to the documentary Imago, directed by Deni Oumar Pitsaev, which follows a man returning to his native village just across the Chechen border, where long-buried family disputes and traumas resurface. The film was produced by Alexandra Melot for France’s Triptyque Films, in co-production with Belgium’s Need Productions.

The Rising Star award, presented by the Louis Roederer Foundation, was given to Pauline Loques for her film Nino. Additional partner awards were presented to Left-Handed Girl, by Shih-Ching Tsou — produced by Sean Baker — and to screenwriters Guillermo Galoe and Victor Alons-Berbel for Sleepless City.

Awards for the Official Selection of the festival will be announced on Saturday, May 24.