Hyderabad: For the first time in 30 years, an Indian film is making its way to the prestigious Cannes Film Festival. Payal Kapadia's movie, All We Imagine As Light, has secured a spot in the festival's top competition category. This exciting news was revealed during a press conference in Paris by Iris Knobloch and Thierry Fremaux, the festival's president and general-delegate, respectively.
What makes this even more remarkable is that Kapadia is among the four female directors competing this year, a significant change from the previous year's count of seven.
Kapadia is not a stranger to Cannes, having garnered attention with her previous works. Her documentary, A Night of Not Knowing Nothing, received the Golden Eye Award for Best Documentary at the Director’s Fortnight in 2021. And back in 2017, her film Afternoon Clouds was featured in the Cinefondation section of the festival.
Now, at 30 years old, Kapadia is vying for the coveted Palme d'Or alongside esteemed filmmakers such as Francis Ford Coppola and Andrea Arnold. Her film, All We Imagine As Light, co-produced with France, tells the story of Prabha, a nurse grappling with an unexpected gift from her estranged husband, while her friend Anu seeks solace with her lover. Together, they embark on a journey to a beach town, where they find solace for their dreams and desires.
This isn't the only recognition for Indian cinema at Cannes this year. Sandhya Suri’s debut feature, Santosh, will be showcased in the Un Certain Regard segment, a significant achievement for British-Indian cinema.
Reflecting on history, the presence of Indian films at Cannes has been sparse but impactful. Titles like Neecha Nagar, Awaara, and Garm Hava have left a lasting impression, with Neecha Nagar even clinching the prestigious Palme d'Or.
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