Payal Kapadia Credits Cannes Recognition for Boosting Indian Release of All We Imagine As Light

Vihaan

New Delhi, May 14 – Acclaimed Indian filmmaker Payal Kapadia has said that the recognition her film All We Imagine As Light received at the Cannes Film Festival last year was instrumental in securing its theatrical release in India.

The Malayalam-Hindi feature, which tells the story of two Malayali nurses navigating life and friendship in Mumbai, made history by becoming the first Indian film to win the prestigious Grand Prix at Cannes in May 2024. Kapadia, speaking at the opening press conference of the 2025 Cannes Film Festival on Tuesday evening, expressed gratitude to both the festival and international critics for elevating the film’s visibility.

"Our film coming here in Cannes and getting the recognition and all of you writing about it really helped us to get the film out. Even the distribution in India was helped by that," Kapadia said.

She added, "The one thing you want as a filmmaker is that your film should be watched by people in your own country and everywhere else. So that was a really big bonus for me."

All We Imagine As Light premiered in Indian theatres with a limited release in Kerala last September, followed by a wider national rollout in November. It was distributed by Telugu star Rana Daggubati’s Spirit Media and received widespread critical acclaim.

The film has also earned several prestigious international accolades, including:

Jury Grand Prize at the Asia Pacific Screen Awards
Best International Feature at the Gotham Awards
Best International Film by the New York Film Critics Circle
Best Film at the Asian Film Awards
It was further nominated for Best Director and Best Foreign Language Film at the Golden Globe Awards.

Kapadia is now serving on the Cannes jury for the festival’s 78th edition, joining a panel led by French actress Juliette Binoche. Other jury members include Halle Berry, Alba Rohrwacher, Leila Slimani, Dieudo Hamadi, Hong Sangsoo, Carlos Reygadas, and Jeremy Strong.

Commenting on her role, Kapadia said, "It's like you see the best of world cinema for the very first time. And also for me, being a cinephile, I'm just so excited."

Looking ahead, the Mumbai-born director revealed that she is working on two more films set in her home city, which will form a thematic trilogy along with All We Imagine As Light.

"I'm right now working on two films based on my city, which is Mumbai. So, to have a trilogy but with different characters. It's a city that's complex and full of contradictions. There's a lot for me to explore still and I need to get that out before I move on to anything else," she said.

The 78th Cannes Film Festival began on Tuesday and will conclude on May 24.