Cambodia has selected Becoming Human, the debut feature written and directed by Polen Ly, as its official submission for the Best International Feature Film category at the 99th Academy Awards.
The supernatural drama now carries the country’s hopes into the Oscar race, adding another major milestone after an acclaimed festival journey that has taken the film from Venice to festivals across Asia and beyond.
The selection comes as Becoming Human reaches Cambodian audiences, with its theatrical release set for August 27, 2026. The 99th Oscars are scheduled for March 14, 2027, but Cambodia’s selection does not mean the film has received an Academy Award nomination. It is the country’s official entry into the International Feature Film competition and will now move into the Academy’s consideration process.
At the centre of Becoming Human is Thida, the spirit guardian of an old cinema facing demolition. With the building that has defined her existence about to disappear, she must decide whether to remain a ghost without a home or accept the possibility of being reborn as a human.
The story becomes more personal when Thida forms a connection with Hai, a living man. Their relationship pushes her to confront her uncertain future, while the changing world around her presents another challenge. Through its supernatural premise, the film also reflects a Cambodia undergoing rapid social and physical change, exploring what happens to memory, identity and places when the world moves forward.
Becoming Human was shot in Battambang province in northwestern Cambodia on a reported micro-budget of about $230,000. Its modest scale makes the film’s international journey particularly notable, demonstrating how a locally rooted production can reach major festival platforms without the resources typically associated with large international films.
The 99-minute Khmer-language feature was developed through Biennale College Cinema, La Biennale di Venezia’s programme supporting emerging filmmakers and low-budget productions. Produced by Daniel Mattes and made through Cambodian production company Anti Archive, the film stars newcomer Savorn Serak as Thida alongside veteran actor Piseth Chhun as Hai.
The film’s festival journey began with its world premiere at the 82nd Venice International Film Festival in August 2025, where it screened in the Biennale College Cinema section. It later travelled to the Busan International Film Festival and the BFI London Film Festival, introducing Polen Ly’s first feature to wider international audiences.
Its strongest recognition came at the Jogja-NETPAC Asian Film Festival in Indonesia, where Becoming Human won the Golden Hanoman, the festival’s top prize, as well as the Audience Award. The double recognition highlighted the film’s ability to connect with both festival juries and audiences.
That festival run has now led to Cambodia’s Oscar selection. For Polen Ly, the decision places a debut feature on one of cinema’s biggest international platforms while giving Cambodia another opportunity to bring one of its contemporary stories to a global audience.
The film’s journey is particularly notable because its Cambodian identity remains central to the work. Rather than leaving its roots behind as it travels internationally, Becoming Human carries them through its language, locations, characters and story of a disappearing cinema.
The Oscar process will determine whether the film advances further, and its official submission should not be confused with a nomination. Still, Cambodia’s decision gives Becoming Human an important new stage after a festival run that has already brought international attention to Polen Ly’s work.
For now, the journey comes back to the image at the heart of the film: a cinema facing its end and a spirit deciding what comes next. From that intimate story, made in Battambang on a micro-budget, Becoming Human has travelled to Venice, won major festival recognition and now represents Cambodia on the road to the 99th Oscars.
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