“Pop Aye” will be representing Singapore in the 2018 foreign-language Oscar race, Variety reports. Written and directed by Kirsten Tan, the award-winning drama is set in Thailand and centers on a disenchanted architect who unexpectedly reunites with his long-lost childhood elephant on the streets of Bangkok. The unlikely pair embark on a road trip across the country towards the rural farm where they grew up together.

“I’ve always felt like a bit of a wanderer. Before moving to New York, where I’ve been based for the past eight years, I grew up in Singapore and lived in Jeonju and Bangkok,” Tan told us. “Across these cities, these homes, I was never sure where and when and how I fit in or belonged, so I’ve always felt for outsiders who don’t sit comfortably within one particular system.”

She explained, “For me, ‘Pop Aye’ is essentially about two wayfaring misfits — in this case, a man past his prime and his displaced street elephant — searching for meaning and belonging in space and time.”

“‘Pop Aye’ is a story of self-discovery, beautifully told by a Singapore team, including director-writer Kirsten Tan, producers Lai Weijie and Huang Wenhong, and executive producer Anthony Chen,” said Joachim Ng, director of the Singapore Film Commission. “The film has resonated with audiences both at home and internationally.”

Tan’s previous credits include shorts “Granny,” “Thin Air,” and “Cold Noodles.” “Pop Aye” is her feature debut. The film made its world premiere at Sundance this January and took home the world cinema dramatic special jury award.

Other women-directed films submitted for consideration in the foreign-language category include Angelina Jolie’s “First They Killed My Father,” an adaption of human rights activist Loung Ung’s non-fiction book, Annemarie Jacir’s “Wajib,” a dramedy about a father and his estranged son, and Agnieszka Holland’s “Spoor,” a crime drama about a woman seeking revenge after hunters kill her dog.