TOKYO - PREPARING corpses for the coffin is not the most glamorous of professions, but an Oscar nomination for 'Departures' has thrown an unexpected spotlight on the hidden world of the Japanese mortician.

Director Yojiro Takita, a veteran of comedy and fantasy movies, scored a 3 billion yen (S$50.5 million) domestic hit with this tale of an out-of-work cellist who stumbles into a job that at first disgusts him, but gradually becomes a vocation.

Now boasting an Academy Award nomination for best foreign film, the movie is set for a wider audience, with screenings planned in 29 countries.