Payal Kapadia's 'All We Imagine As Light' breaks India’s 30-year Cannes Film Festival Competition stalemate

Not since 1994 has an Indian film made it to the main competition of the Cannes Film Festival in France. Malayalam filmmaker Shaji N Karun’s Swaham (1994) was the last Indian film in Cannes main competition, vying for the prestigious Palme d'Or Award. There have been other titles from the country — in sections like Un Certain Regard and Special Screenings. But none in Competition. On Thursday, filmmaker Payal Kapadia's 'All We Imagine As Light' scripted history by becoming the first Indian title after 30 years to feature in the prestigious Competition section of the Cannes Film Festival. The 77th Cannes Film Festival will run from May 14 to May 25.

ALL WE IMAGINE AS LIGHT – Payal KAPADIA#Competition #Cannes2024

— Festival de Cannes (@Festival_Cannes) April 11, 2024

Iris Knobloch, president of the Cannes Festival, and Thierry Fremaux, General Delegate, announced the official selection line-up for the 2024 edition of the gala at a press conference streamed live from Cannes, France. Iris Knobloch, president of the Cannes Festival, and Thierry Fremaux, General Delegate, announced the official selection line-up for the 2024 edition of the gala at a press conference streamed live from Cannes, France.

Besides Kapadia, British-Indian filmmaker Sandhya Suri's "Santosh" will also be showcased at the 77th edition of the film gala. The movie will be screened under the Un Certain Regard section. Kapadia's "All We Imagine As Light" will be presented under the main segment alongside 19 other highly anticipated titles, including films from master directors Francis Ford Coppola ("Megalopolis") and the Oscar-winning The Poor Things director Yorgos Lanthimos ("Kinds of Kindness"). Kapadia's "All We Imagine As Light" will be presented under the main segment alongside 19 other highly anticipated titles, including films from master directors Francis Ford Coppola ("Megalopolis") and Yorgos Lanthimos ("Kinds of Kindness").

"Oh Canada" by Paul Schrader, "Bird" by Andrea Arnold, "The Shrouds" by David Cronenberg, and "Anora" by Sean Baker are also part of the main Competition slate.

Kapadia, an alumna of the Film & Television Institute of India (FTII), is best known for her acclaimed documentary "A Night of Knowing Nothing", which premiered at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival's Director's Fortnight side-bar where it won the Oeil d'or (Golden Eye) award. At 2022 Cannes, Shaunak Sen’s All That Breathes, a compelling documentary about two brothers’ concern for black kites in Delhi has clinched the Golden Eye award.  FTII alumna's Kapadia's short film Afternoon Clouds was the only Indian film to compete at the 2017 Cannes Film Festival.

'All We Imagine As Light', also written by Kapadia, marks her narrative feature debut. The film 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. The film 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 plot line. Malayalee actors Divya Prabha (Ariyippu, Family) and Kani Kusruti (Poacher, Killer Soup, Biriyaani, Counterfeit Kunkoo) and veteran Marathi actor Chhaya Kadam (Gangubai Kathiawadi, Laapataa Ladies, Fandry) will carry 'All We Imagine As Light' on their shoulders.

Before Shaji Karun in 1994, legendary filmmaker Mrinal Sen's "Kharij" competed for Palme d'Or in 1983. Before that, films like MS Sathyu's "Garm Hava" (1974), Satyajit Ray's "Parash Pathar" (1958), Raj Kapoor's "Awaara" (1953), V Shantaram's "Amar Bhoopali" (1952) and Chetan Anand's "Neecha Nagar" (1946) were selected for Cannes Competition segment. The last Indian film to compete for the coveted Palme d'Or award was legendary filmmaker Mrinal Sen's "Kharij" in 1983. Before that, films like M. S. Sathyu's "Garm Hava" (1974), Satyajit Ray's "Parash Pathar" (1958), Raj Kapoor's "Awaara" (1953), V Shantaram's "Amar Bhoopali" (1952) and Chetan Anand's "Neecha Nagar" (1946) were selected for Cannes Competition segment.

"Neecha Nagar" is the only Indian film ever to win the top honour at Cannes back in 1946. At the time, the award was known as Grand Prix du Festival International du Film. Suri's "Santosh", which features Shahana Goswami, will compete alongside 14 other movies in the Un Certain Regard, which runs parallel to the main competition. Suri's "Santosh" will compete alongside 14 other movies in the Un Certain Regard, which runs parallel to the main competition.

SANTOSH – Sandhya SURI
#UnCertainRegard #Cannes2024

— Festival de Cannes (@Festival_Cannes) April 11, 2024

The Hindi-language film, a character-driven neo-noir story set in the hinterlands of north India, is a UK-European co-production and stars Shahana Goswami. Quentin Dupieux's "The Second Act" is the opening film at the 77th edition.

Also in Un Certain Regard competition is Bulgarian filmmaker Konstantin Bojanov's 'The Shameless', which will feature Indian actors Anasuya Sengupta and Omara Shetty in the lead, the veteran actress Mita Vashisht, and Tanmay Dhanania.

(With inputs from PTI)