Philippines’ ‘On the Job: The Missing 8’ and Singapore’s ‘Ajoomma’ submitted for Oscars 2023

Singapore and the Philippines have selected Ajoomma and On The Job: Missing 8 as their bets for next year’s Oscars.

• READ MORE: ‘On The Job’ HBO series review: a thrilling descent into the Philippine criminal underworld

The Singapore Film Commission and the Film Development Council of the Philippines have recently submitted both films for a spot at the 95th Academy Awards’ International Feature Film category.

A debut film by He Shuming, Ajoomma follows the story of a Singaporean widow who’s obsessed with Korean pop culture. She goes on a solo trip to South Korea and finds herself going on a journey to self-discovery along the way. The film is set to make its world premiere at the Busan International Film Festival, currently competing for top honours for the New Currents category.

Meanwhile, Philippine bet On the Job: The Missing 8 by Erik Matti is the sequel to the director’s 2013 project On The Job. It follows journalist Sisoy Salas – played by John Arcilla – on his investigation on the mysterious disappearances of his colleagues. The film made its world premiere last year at the Venice Film Festival and won Best Actor for Arcilla’s performance.

Matti expressed how surreal it felt for his work to be sent for an Oscar consideration. “I am truly grateful for the recognition,” he wrote on social media. “We accept the challenge. But the challenge is not easy and it’s daunting.”

Other recent submissions from Southeast Asian countries include Vietnam’s action-thriller 578 Magnum and Hong Kong’s Where the Wind Blows.

The post Philippines’ ‘On the Job: The Missing 8’ and Singapore’s ‘Ajoomma’ submitted for Oscars 2023 appeared first on NME.