Mumbai-based filmmaker Payal Kapadia’s debut narrative feature as a writer-director ‘All We Imagine as Light’ which had its World Premiere in the Main Competition at the 77th Cannes Film Festival won Grand Prix, making Payal the first filmmaker in the history of Indian cinema to win the prestigious award.

The World premiere received an eight-minute long standing ovation.

The film has created a breakthrough, being the first Indian film in over 30 years to enter the Main Competition of the Cannes Film Festival and marking Payal as the first Indian female filmmaker ever chosen for this competition.

All We Imagine as Light’ was among 22 films competing for the Palme d’Or Award along with the likes of high profile filmmakers such as Andrea Arnold, Francis Ford Coppola, Jia Zhang-Ke, Paolo Sorrentino, Sean Baker and Ali Abbasi.

Overwhelmed while receiving the Grand Prix Award at the Cannes ceremony, the award-winning filmmaker Payal Kapadia said, “ Thank you very much, the Cannes Film Festival for having our film here. Please don’t wait 30 years to have another Indian film. Thank you so much to my producers Thomas, Julien, Ranabir and Zico, who supported this idea and to my entire crew, who a lot of them are here and the ones who couldn’t make it but are hopefully watching from home, it couldn’t have been possible without them. And thank you to all our partners who have come on board the film and are going to see its journey from now on, which I think is so important, for a film like this, Thank you!

She added, “This film is about friendship between three different women and oftentimes women are pitted against each other, but for me friendship is a very important relationship because it can lead to greater solidarity, inclusivity and empathy towards each other.”

The Malayalam-Hindi feature starring Kani Kusruti, Divya Prabha, Chhaya Kadam, Hridhu Haroon and Azees Nedumangad, All We Imagine as Light is the story of Nurse Prabha, whose routine is troubled when she receives an unexpected gift from her estranged husband. Her younger roommate, Anu, tries in vain to find a spot in the city to be intimate with her boyfriend. A trip to a beach town allows them to find a space for their desires to manifest.

The film is an Indo-French co-production between Petit Chaos from France and Chalk and Cheese Films from India. The other co-producers are Arte France Cinéma, Baldr Film, Another Birth, Les Films Fauves and Pulpa Film.

Thomas Hakim and Julien Graff are the producers from Petit Chaos. The Indian producers are Zico Maitra (Chalk and Cheese) and Ranabir Das (Another Birth) who is also the Cinematographer of the film. .

Payal’s acclaimed debut feature doc ‘A Night of Knowing Nothing’ premiered at Cannes Film Festival’s sidebar Directors’ Fortnight 2021 won the Oeil d’Or (Golden Eye) award for Best Documentary film and traveled around the world since then.

‘Afternoon Clouds’ was part of the Cinefondation section in the 2017 edition of Cannes Film Festival which also takes place during the Festival along with the Critics’ Week and Director’s Fortnight.

Director’s Biography

Payal Kapadia is a Mumbai based filmmaker. She studied Film Direction at the Film & Television Institute of India. Her short films Afternoon Clouds and And What Is The Summer Saying premiered respectively at the Cinéfondation and the Berlinale. Her first feature film A Night of Knowing Nothing premiered at 2021 Director’s Fortnight, where it won the Golden Eye for best documentary.

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Ajay KR