Thai forest-spirit horror Cher has joined the lineup of the 2026 Tokyo Gap-Financing Market, where it stands as the only Thai entry. The film arrives in Tokyo on the back of a historic run at Canada’s Frontières Co-Production Market, where it became the first Thai project ever selected for — and awarded a top prize at — the genre market.
Cher key visual (Credits: Variety)
Cher is built on the folklore of the Nang Mai, the forest nymphs of Thai myth. That mythological foundation gives the film a distinctly Thai identity in a market lineup where local folklore horror has been travelling further than ever, and it sets Cher apart from the more familiar ghosts-and-haunted-house formulas of the genre.
Cher: First Thai Winner at Frontières Heads to Tokyo
The Tokyo Gap-Financing Market is a key stop for films seeking the final pieces of their financing, pairing projects with investors, distributors and co-production partners. For Cher, selection as the sole Thai title puts Thai genre cinema in front of the Asian film industry’s deal-makers at exactly the moment the project is looking to close its budget.
The Frontières milestone matters too. Being the first Thai project selected for the Canadian market — and then winning a top prize there — signals that international genre programmers see something distinctive in Cher’s blend of Thai folklore and horror craft.
Who Is Behind Thai Horror Film Cher?
Benetone Films and Fearfolks are producing the feature. It is directed by Songsak Mongkolthong, known for Graveyard Horror and School Tales the Series, from a screenplay by Patrick Graham, the writer behind Netflix’s Ghoul and Betaal.
That pairing — a Thai horror director steeped in local genre storytelling and a writer with Netflix horror credits — is part of what makes Cher one to watch. Thai horror has long had a loyal international audience, and with a Frontières prize already in hand and Tokyo gap financing next, Cher is positioning itself as the next Thai genre title to break out beyond its home market.
Also Read: Junji Ito’s The Hanging Balloons Is Getting a Thai Live-Action Horror Film and Kurosawa Kiyoshi and Ju-on Director Shimizu Takashi Helm Disney+ and Hulu’s Japanese Horror Anthology ‘Night Tales Club’
Source: Variety — read the full story there.
