“All We Imagine as Light” is the first Indian film in 30 years and the first ever by an Indian female director to be showcased in the festival’s main competition. The last Indian film to compete was Shaji N Karun’s “Swaham” in 1994.
Kapadia received the Grand Prix from acclaimed American actor Viola Davis. During her acceptance speech, she expressed gratitude to the three lead actresses of the film — Kani Kusruti, Divya Prabha, and Chhaya Kadam — emphasising that the film’s success was due to their contributions.
“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,” Kapadia remarked.
“All We Imagine as Light,” a Malayalam-Hindi feature, tells the story of Prabha, a nurse whose life is disrupted by an unexpected gift from her estranged husband. Alongside her younger roommate, Anu, the two embark on a road trip to a beach town where a mystical forest allows their dreams to manifest.
The film received an eight-minute standing ovation and garnered rave reviews from international critics, making it a strong contender for the top prize.
Sean Baker’s “Anora,” which ultimately won the Palme d’Or, explores the life of a young Brooklyn sex worker who marries a Russian oligarch’s son, triggering a series of life-altering events.
This year’s Cannes Film Festival was notable for several Indian achievements. On Thursday, FTII student Chidananda S. Naik won the La Cinef first prize for “Sunflowers Were the First Ones to Know…”. On Friday, Anasuya Sengupta became the first Indian to win the Best Actress prize for her role in Konstantin Bojanov’s “The Shameless.”
The festival’s closing ceremony, hosted by French actor Camille Cottin, saw Jacques Audiard winning the Jury Prize for “Emilia Perez,” which also secured Best Actress honors for Adriana Paz, Zoe Saldaña, Karla Sofía Gascón, and Selena Gomez. Jesse Plemons was awarded Best Actor for his roles in Yorgos Lanthimos’ “Kinds of Kindness,” while Portuguese director Miguel Gomes took home Best Director for “Grand Tour.”
The Best Screenplay award went to French director-writer Claire Denis for “The Substance,” featuring Demi Moore. Iranian filmmaker Mohammad Rasoulof received a Special Award for Best Screenplay for “The Seed of the Sacred Fig,” despite his recent flight from Iran under threat of an eight-year prison sentence.
The Camera d’Or for best directorial debut was awarded to Halfdan Ullman Tondel, grandson of Ingmar Bergman, for “Armand.”
This year’s main competition jury was chaired by filmmaker Greta Gerwig and included notable figures such as Spanish director Juan Antonio Bayona, Turkish actor-screenwriter Ebru Ceylan, Italian actor Pierfrancesco Favino, American actor Lily Gladstone, Japanese director Hirokazu Kore-eda, Lebanese actor-director Nadine Labaki, and French actors Eva Green and Omar Sy.
Historically, Indian films selected for the Cannes Competition segment include Mrinal Sen’s “Kharij” (1983), 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).
With inputs from agency
