Cannes 2024: Indian filmmaker Payal Kapadia’s ‘All We Imagine As Light’ wins Grand Prix award

Payal Kapadia scripted history in Cannes on Saturday. She became the first Indian filmmaker to win the Grand Prix award at the Cannes Film Festival for her film ‘All We Imagine As Light’.

Payal Kapadia’s film wins Grand Prix

The film bagged the second-most prestigious prize of the festival after the Palme d'Or. ‘All We Imagine As Light, which screened on Thursday night, is the first Indian film in 30 years and first ever by an Indian female director to be showcased in the main competition.

Kapadia received the Grand Prix from American actor Viola Davis. In her speech, the filmmaker thanked the three leading ladies of the film - Kani Kusruti, Divya Prabha and Chhaya Kadam. The filmmaker further said that the film would not have been possible without them. "I'm very nervous, so I wrote something down. Thank you to the Cannes Film Festival for having our film here. Please don't wait 30 years to have another Indian film,” she said.

The director also gave a shout out to the festival workers who had protested at the opening night gala, demanding better wages and acknowledgement.

Film received 8-minute standing ovation

‘All We Imagine As Light’ became a strong contender for the top prize after its screening that saw the team receive an eight-minute standing ovation and glowing reviews from the international critics.

About ‘All We Imagine As Light’

‘All We Imagine as Light’, a Malayalam-Hindi feature, is about Prabha, a nurse, who receives an unexpected gift from her long-estranged husband that throws her life into disarray. Her younger roommate, Anu, tries in vain to find a private spot in the big city to be alone with her boyfriend.
One day the two nurses go on a road trip to a beach town where the mystical forest becomes a space for their dreams to manifest, according to the plotline.

Baker’s ‘Anora’ bags Palme d’Or

Meanwhile the top prize, Palme d'Or went to American director Sean Baker for “Anora". Baker's ‘Anora’ is a drama about a young Brooklyn sex worker who marries the son of a Russian oligarch, setting off a chain of events in the process for herself and the husband.

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