‘Lahn Mah’ to vie for Oscar

The runaway hit Thai movie “Lahn Mah” — better known around the world as “How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies” — has been selected as Thailand’s official entry at the 97th Academy Awards.
The film, which will be considered for the Best International Feature Film category, was picked by a committee of experts in the Thai film industry, including producers, directors, cinema operators and media professionals, according to the National Federation of Thai Film Associations.
To qualify in the international feature category, films must be produced outside the United States, exceed 40 minutes in length and be predominantly in a non-English language.
This year, 49 Thai films were considered. Lahn Mah was chosen for its “exceptional quality, heartfelt storyline and international appeal”, the federation said.
That international appeal has translated into handsome box-office earnings of at least $50 million (1.6 billion baht) worldwide, including about $15 million in China. It was the highest-grossing Thai film of 2024 with 250 million baht in combined receipts in Bangkok and Chiang Mai alone as of early September. It is also available on Netflix.
In the Philippines, tickets were sold out on the film’s opening day, cinemas had to add more screenings to meet demand, and one chain started handing out tissues to viewers moved to tears by the story.
The plot revolves around an aimless and unemployed young man, M, whose sole ambition is to livestream his online games. He volunteers to take care of his maternal grandmother after he finds out she has Stage 4 cancer. His motivation is not filial piety; instead, he hopes that he can inherit her house.
After M moves in with his grandmother, he develops a closer understanding of the complicated characters that make up his Thai-Chinese family.
“It talks about the thing that we all have in common, which is family,” said director Pat Boonnitipat.