Cannes 2024: Payal Kapadia becomes first Indian to clinch Grand Prix award for ‘All We Imagine as Light’

livemint.com:

Payal Kapadia made history as the first Indian filmmaker to clinch the Grand Prix prize at the Cannes Film Festival for her movie “All We Imagine as Light." This accolade, the festival's second-most prestigious award, was bestowed upon her film, while the coveted Palme d'Or was awarded to American director Sean Baker for his work “Anora," ANI reported.Kapadia's film, screened on Thursday night, marks the first Indian entry in 30 years and the first ever by a female Indian director to be featured in the main competition. The previous Indian film to be selected for the main competition was Shaji N Karun's "Swaham" in 1994.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 -- and said 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."This film is about friendship, about three very different women. Oftentimes, women are pitted against each other.

This is the way our society is designed and it is really unfortunate. But for me, friendship is a very important relationship because it can lead to greater solidarity, inclusivity and empathy," said Kapadia, who was accompanied by the three actors on the stage.The director also gave a shout out to the festival workers who had protested at the opening night gala, demanding better wages and acknowledgement.“All We Imagine as Light," a Malayalam-Hindi feature film, follows Prabha, a nurse whose life is upended when she receives an unexpected gift from her long-estranged husband.