FTII alumna Payal Kapadia creates history and wins Grand Prix at Cannes 2024 with her Malayalam and Hindi film All We Imagine as Light.
Payal Kapadia made history by becoming the first Indian film director to win the Grand Prix at the Cannes Film Festival with her film “A La La La.” Everything we imagine is light.
The film won the award, the festival’s second most prestigious prize after the Palme d’Or, won by American director Sean Baker. Anora At the closing ceremony on Saturday evening (May 25th).
Kapadia’s film, which was screened on the evening of May 23rd, is the first Indian film in 30 years and the first film directed by an Indian woman to be entered in the main competition section.
The last Indian film to be selected in the main competition was Shaji N. Karun’s 1994 film. Swaham.
Kapadia received the Grand Prize from American actor Viola Davis. In his speech, the director thanked the film’s three leads — Kani Kusruti, Divya Prabha and Chhaya Kadam — saying that the film would not have been possible without them. “I am very nervous, so I made a note. Thank you to the Cannes Film Festival for screening our film. Please don’t wait another 30 years for an Indian film to be screened. This film is about friendship, about three very different women. Women are often pitted against each other, which is how our society is set up and it’s really unfortunate. But for me, friendship is a very important relationship because it leads to greater solidarity, inclusivity and empathy,” Kapadia said, taking to the stage with the three actors.
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The director also called out festival workers, who staged a protest at the opening day celebrations, demanding higher wages and improved honor.
Everything we imagine is lightis a Malayalam and Hindi feature film that tells the story of Prabha, a nurse whose life is thrown into turmoil when she receives an unexpected gift from her long-estranged husband, while her younger roommate Anu tries in vain to find somewhere alone with her boyfriend in the big city.
The story goes that one day, the two nurses go on a road trip to a seaside town and discover a mysterious forest where their dreams come true.
Actors Kani Kusruti, Chhaya Kadam and Divya Prabha with director Payal Kapadia after Kapadia won the Grand Prix for the film. Everything we imagine is light At the 77th Cannes Film Festival. | Photo by SAMEER AL-DOUMY/AFP
After the screening, the production team received an eight-minute standing ovation and glowing reviews from international critics, making the film a strong contender for the top award.
Bakers Anora The film also proved popular and ultimately won an award, telling the story of a young Brooklyn prostitute who marries the son of a Russian oligarch, setting in motion a chain of events for herself and her husband in the process.
Everything we imagine is light The project marks the feature film directorial debut for Kapadia, an alumna of the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), whose acclaimed documentary A Night of Knowing Nothing premiered at Directors’ Fortnight in 2021 and won the Oeil d’Or (GoldenEye) award.
Her short film Afternoon Clouds At the Cinéfondation, a category dedicated to supporting the next generation of talented filmmakers, India won major awards in each of the three competitive categories at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival. On May 23, Himawari was the first to know.FTII student Chidananda S. Naik’s film won the top prize at the La Cinef. On May 24, art designer Anasuya Sengupta, who played a key role in Bulgarian director Konstantin Boyanov’s title film Un Certain Regard, Shamelessmade history: she became the first Indian to win the Best Actress award at Cannes.
At the closing ceremony, hosted by French actor Camille Cottin, Jacques Audiard won the Jury Prize for Musical Crime Comedy. Emilia PerezThe film also saw four stars win best actress awards: Adriana Paz, Zoe Saldana, Carla Sofia Gascón and Selena Gomez.
A still from the film directed by Payal Kapadia Everything we imagine is light.
| Photo credit: PTI
Jesse Plemons won the Best Actor award for his portrayal of a triumvirate of submissive businessman, grieving police officer and bisexual cultist in Yorgos Lanthimos’s Types of kindness.
The best director award went to Portuguese director Miguel Gomes for his period film. The Grand TourThe French director and screenwriter won the award for best original screenplay for his body-horror drama. EssenceHollywood star Demi Moore appears.
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Iranian film director Mohammad Rasoulof, who was sentenced to eight years in prison and recently fled his home country, received a special award for best screenplay for his new film. Sacred Fig SeedThe Camera d’Or (best director that year) was awarded to Halfdan Ullman Tonder, Ingmar Bergman’s grandson. Armand.
The main competition jury was chaired by film director Greta Gerwig and included Spanish director Juan Antonio Bayona, Turkish actor and screenwriter Ebru Ceylan, Italian actor Pierfrancesco Favino, American actor Lily Gladstone, Japanese director Hirokazu Koreeda, Lebanese actor and director Nadine Labaki and French stars Eva Green and Omar Sy. Other Indian films selected for the Cannes competition section include Mrinal Sen’s “The Wonderful World.” Carisi (1983), M.S. Satill Garm Hava (1974), Satyajit Ray’s Palash Pathar (1958), Raj Kapoor’s Awaara (1953), by V. Shantaram Amar Bhupali (1952) and Chetan Anand’s Neetha Nagar (1946).
(With inputs from PTI)
