Filmmaker Payal Kapadia has earned a spot to fight for the most prestigious award at Cannes — what would happen if she won?
Payal Kapadia’s “All We Imagine As Light” was selected for the 2024 Cannes Film Festival to compete for the prestigious Palme d’Or award. This is a landmark moment for Kapadia and India as a whole, as the last time that an Indian film was nominated for this award was 30 years ago in 1994, for Shaji Karun’s “Swahan.”
For those unfamiliar, the prestigious Cannes Film Festival is an invitation-only competition held in France, dating back to 1946, the same year that India won its first and only Palme d’Or award, known at the time as the “Grand Prix du Festival International du Film.” Chetan Anand received the award for his film “Neecha Nagar.” Cannes features eight competition sections, including jury prizes, Best Short Film, Director, Actor, Actress, and Screenplay awards. At the apex of these categories is the Palme d’Or or Golden Palm, awarded to the Best Film at the festival.
Since Cannes’ inception, India has only seen six selections for the Palme d’Or — including Kapadia’s. It’s worth noting that half of the entries alone belonged to Satyajit Ray. Most of the nominations, however, occurred between 1957 to 1984, indicating India’s prominence at Cannes was more pronounced in the festival’s early years, preceding its “golden era” of Yash Raj Cinema. It makes sense given that India’s foray into film emerged from the upper class artisans who participated in theater, leading to movies that were more experimental, intellectual and artistic in nature. By the 1970s and 1980s, the blockbuster movies that were dominating had pivoted to escapist pieces that offered dramatic dance numbers, a flare of romance, and dishoom. In other words, Indian cinema went commercial.
Payal Kapadia is no stranger to Cannes. Three years ago, her documentary “A Night of Knowing Nothing” won the L’Œil d’Or, at the festival in 2021. She was the first Indian to win the award and is now making history again as the first Indian woman to be nominated for the Palme d’Or. Kapadia’s nomination signals the potential for a shift in Indian cinema. For it to take three decades for India to see this stage again makes one thing clear: India’s commercial nature of filmmaking has overtaken the art form. But Kapadia’s feat could mean the beginning of a new era of films emerging from the country — ones that choose intellectualism and art over masala.
Kapadia’s film, “All We Imagine As Light,” is a co-production between India and France, presented in both Malayalam and Hindi. The story follows a nurse in Mumbai named Prabha who receives a red rice cooker as an unexpected gift from her estranged husband, disrupting her life. Meanwhile her younger roommate, Anu, seeks out a spot in Mumbai to be intimate with her Muslim boyfriend.
With recent South Asian films like “The Elephant Whisperers,” “RRR,” and “Monkey Man” winning global acclaim, “All We Imagine As Light” faces high expectations. A Cannes win could provide the film with global exposure and potentially attract investors to India for future projects that prioritize depth over commercial, cookie-cutter movies. However, a poor reception could hinder distribution deals. It’s a double edged sword, but one that could prove that there is a global audience for films that aren’t just big set pieces, international locations, and Shah Rukh Khan’s outstretched arms.
Twenty films are competing in this segment, and the gala will take place from May 14 to May 25. Will Kapadia be able to secure the second Palme d’Or for India and be the first woman to do it?
The world will know soon.