Indian filmmaker Payal Kapadia has scripted history at the Cannes Film Festival 2024 with her film “All We Imagine as Light” winning the Grand Prix award. This award is the second most prestigious accolade of the festival.
Key highlights
- Kapadia’s film becomes the first Indian entry in 30 years in the festival and the first-ever by a female director.
- The last Indian film selected for the competition was “Swaham” by Shaii N Karun in 1994.
- American actor Viola Davis honoured Kapadia with the award. She dedicated the award to the three leading ladies of the movie- Kani Kusruti, Divya Prabha and Chhaya Kadam.
- “All We Imagine as Light” is a Malayalam and Hindi language feature film, the screening of which received a standing ovation from the audiences at the event, including industry veterans and critics.
- The story revolves around two nurses, troubled by their relationships, who embark on a road trip to a beach town where the mystical forest serves as a medium for their dreams to turn into reality.
- Indian films selected for the Cannes Competition earlier include- Chetan Anand’s “Neecha Nagar” (1946), V Shantaram’s “Amar Bhoopali” (1952), Raj Kapoor’s “Awaara” (1953), Satyajit Ray’s “Parash Pathar” (1958), M S Sathyu’s “Garm Hava” (1974), and Mrinal Sen’s “Kharij” (1983).
About Payal Kapadia
- Kapadia makes her feature film directorial debut with “All We Imagine as Light”.
- She is an alumnus of the Film & Television Institute of India (FTII), Pune.
- She is the maker of the highly acclaimed documentary “A Night of Knowing Nothing” which won the Oeil d’or (Golden Eye) award in 2021.
- She has also made some short films, including “Afternoon Clouds”, “Watermelon, Fish and Half Ghost”, “The Last Mango Before the Monsoon”, and “And What is the Summer Saying”. They were recognised by critics and audiences.
- Mumbai-born Kapadia’s success will serve as a big booster for Indian filmmakers, particularly women filmmakers. During the award ceremony, Kapadia asked Indian filmmakers not to wait for another 30 years to make a mark at Cannes.
