Payal Kapadia’s first film at Cannes 2024 gets a an ovation standing up which marks a milestone in the history of Indian cinema.
Chhaya Kadam Chhaya Kadam, Kani Kusruti, director Payal Kapadia, Divya Prabha and Hridhu Haroon pose for photographers after arriving at the premier of ‘All We Dream as Light in the 77th International Cannes Film Festival | Photo Credit: ANDREEA ALEXANDRU
A landmark moment for Indian cinema came last night as Payal Kapadia’s debut fiction feature, All We Imagine As Light , received an enthusiastic eight-minute standing ovation at its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival 2024. Screening in the late-night competition slot, the film was the first Indian production in the competition in three decades and the first by an Indian woman filmmaker to achieve this honor.
A rare French Indo co-production the film came to life by a collaboration between Paris-based filmmakers Hakim along with Julien Graff of Petit Chaos and Mumbai’s Zico Maitra of Chalk & Cheese Films. The film was shot over 40 days in Mumbai and the western port city of Ratnagiri the Malayalam-Hindi film follows the lives of two women in their 20s, Prabha (Kani Kasruti) and Anu (Divya Prabha).
Prabha Nurse from Mumbai is a nurse from Mumbai. Her routine is interrupted by an unexpected gift from her estranged husband and her roommate Anu is struggling to find a space in the city for intimate moments and her lover. Their trip to a beach resort turns into a major escape as their hopes and desires are realized.
Kapadia was recognized internationally for her film “A Night of Not Knowing Nothing(2021) that was screened during the Director’s Fortnight at Cannes and won the Golden Eye for best documentary. In a recent interview, she spoke about the diversity and depth of filmmakers from India. “India is a nation where you can find a wide range of great films. It’s not only Bollywood however every country has its own industry and some truly amazing filmmakers. I’m hoping that, following this, we won’t need to wait for another thirty years.” She said.
