Cannes 2024: Filmmaker Payal Kapadia's movie ‘All We Imagine As Light’ took home the Grand Prix at the Cannes Film Festival. Her big win at the global film festival has made India proud. Now, the director’s accomplishment has been praised by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
PM Narendra Modi lauds Payal Kapadia Cannes win
PM Narendra Modi took to X (formerly Twitter) to extend his best wishes to the Indian filmmaker and said that she has inspired a whole new generation of filmmakers.
Modi wrote, “India is proud of Payal Kapadia for her historic feat of winning the Grand Prix at the 77th Cannes Film Festival for her work All We Imagine as Light”.
“An alumnus of FTII, her remarkable talent continues to shine on the global stage, giving a glimpse of the rich creativity in India. This prestigious accolade not only honours her exceptional skills but also inspires a new generation of Indian filmmakers,” he added.
About Payal Kapadia's film All We Imagine As Light
Payal Kapadia is the first filmmaker from India to win the Grand Prix. The movie took home the film festival's top prize, the Palme d'Or. The Indian director's film was the first by an Indian woman director to be screened in the main competition as well as the first Indian film to be shown in thirty years. The American actor Viola Davis presented her the Grand Prix award.
Payal attended the film festival with the cast of the film, Kani Kusruti, Divya Prabha and Chhaya Kadam. The awards ceremony took place on the last day of the festival. ‘All We Imagine As Light’ was up against movies by Paolo Sorrentino, Yorgos Lanthimos, Paul Schrader, and Francis Ford Coppola.
The Indo-French production ‘All We Imagine As Light’ chronicles the life of a nurse, Prabha (played by Kani Kusruti), who gets an unexpected gift from her estranged husband. The film got an eight-minute standing ovation, which is among the longest in this edition of the film festival, after its premiere on May 23.