Filmmaker Payal Kapadia's directorial debut, All We Imagine as Light, premiered at the Cannes Film Festival 2024 on May 23rd evening, receiving a thunderous eight-minute standing ovation. The film not only marks Kapadia's foray into fiction filmmaking but also makes history on two fronts. She became the first Indian woman director to have a film screened in the prestigious Cannes competition, and All We Imagine as Light is the first Indian production to compete for the Palme d'Or in three decades.
All We Imagine as Light dazzled at its premiere! Not only did the film receive a roaring 8-minute standing ovation, but the red carpet was a joyous affair with the entire team – Ranabir Das, Julien Graff, Hridhu Haroon, Chhaya Kadam, Divya Prabha, Payal Kapadia, Kani Kusruti, Zico Maitra, and Thomas Hakim – dancing and celebrating together. The crowd's thunderous applause foreshadowed the rave reviews pouring in from international media outlets.
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According to a report in Deadline, the film was shot over a period of 40 days, capturing the essence of late summer in Mumbai before transitioning to the rainy coastal town of Ratnagiri. The report further states that All We Imagine As Light is a French-Indian co-production, in collaboration with Paris-based producers Hakim and Julien Graff (Petit Chaos) and Zico Maitra of Mumbai's Chalk & Cheese Films.
As per the official Cannes website, the film, presented in both Malayalam and Hindi, follows the lives of Nurse Prabha's life in Mumbai which is disrupted by a surprise gift from her estranged husband. The unexpected gesture throws her routine into disarray. Sharing a cramped apartment with her younger roommate, Anu, tensions rise as Anu desperately searches for a private space to be with her boyfriend. The city offers no solace, forcing them to dream of escape. A weekend trip to a quieter beach town finally grants Anu the intimacy she craves. Freed from the constraints of Mumbai, their desires find a way to blossom under the open sky.
Payal Kapadia thanks the crowd inside the Lumière following the screening. ‘All We Imagine As Light’ is the first Indian film in the Cannes competition for three decades #Cannes2024 pic.twitter.com/0ZrgR5JAQn
— Deadline Hollywood (@DEADLINE) May 23, 2024
‘All We Imagine as Light’ receives a warm ovation from the crowd inside the Lumière following this evening’s debut screening #Cannes2024 pic.twitter.com/AxY5h1YGD7
— Deadline Hollywood (@DEADLINE) May 23, 2024
Following the film's premiere at Cannes on Thursday night, Kapadia was visibly overwhelmed as she and producer Thomas Hakim spoke about their collaborative process and the significance of this historic moment. Kapadia emphasizes the abundance of talent in Indian cinema, stating to Deadline, “India is a country that makes a lot of good films. Not just Bollywood but every state has its industry and there are absolutely brilliant filmmakers.” Expressing hope for the future, she added, “I hope that after this we won't have to wait another 30 years.”
Payal Kapadia gained international recognition with her 2021 documentary A Night of Knowing Nothing, which premiered in the Director's Fortnight section at Cannes and went on to win the Golden Eye for best documentary.
ALSO READ: EXCLUSIVE: How Kaun Pravin Tambe? landed Chhaya Kadam the role of Kanchan Kombdi in Madgaon Express
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