The Indian film ‘All We Imagine As Light’ clinched the Grand Prix Award at the Cannes Film Festival on May 25th.
This debut fictional feature by Payal Kapadia marked the first Indian entry in nearly thirty years to vie for the Palme d’Or award, the last being Shaji N Karun’s ‘Swaham’ in 1994. Kapadia’s work competed alongside renowned directors such as Francis Ford Coppola, Sean Baker, Yorgos Lanthimos, Paul Schrader, Magnus Von Horn, and Paolo Sorrentino. The jury, led by Greta Gerwig, director of ‘Ladybird’ and ‘Barbie’, presided over the event.
On May 23rd, the film premiered at Cannes, receiving an enthusiastic eight-minute standing ovation. Payal Kapadia previously won the ‘le prix du documentaire’ for Best Documentary with ‘A Night of Knowing Nothing’ at Cannes three years ago, but ‘All We Imagine As Light’ marks her debut feature film.
This Indo-French production narrates the tale of Prabha, a nurse, who encounters unexpected turmoil in her life after receiving a gift from her estranged husband.
Indian cinema has a notable history at Cannes, with selections from directors like Chetan Anand, V Shantaram, Raj Kapoor, Satyajit Ray, MS Sathyu, and Mrinal Sen. ‘Neecha Nagar’ remains the sole Indian film to have clinched a Palme d’Or.
Actor Aditi Rao Hydari praised this accomplishment, expressing her sentiments on Instagram, highlighting the significance of an independent film by a first-time director receiving such prestigious recognition amidst global turmoil. Actor-producer Tovino Thomas, writer-comedian Varun Grover, and director-actor Anurag Kashyap also lauded this remarkable achievement on the international stage.
