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Cannes Xpress 2024: Triumph and Grace in Victory
In a historic moment for Indian cinema, Payal Kapadia’s debut feature film All We Imagine As Light (AWIAL) clinched the Grand Prix at the Cannes Film Festival 2024. This win marks a significant milestone, as it had been 30 years since an Indian film was featured in the competition section of Cannes, following Shaji N Karun’s Swaham in 1994. During her award acceptance speech, Kapadia urged, “Please don’t wait 30 years to have another Indian film.”
Kapadia’s victory not only highlights her personal achievement but also elevates an ongoing discourse about Indian cinema’s place on the global stage. Despite the vibrant independent cinema scene in India, there has been a tendency to self-criticize and measure Indian films against Western standards, often conforming to preconceived notions. AWIAL, with its subtle and meaningful exploration of female friendship, defies the conventional Bollywood song-and-dance routines and the testosterone-driven narratives of films like RRR. Kapadia’s win became a platform for celebrating the broader landscape of indie cinema and acknowledging the collective efforts of her team, cast, and crew. Her speech was a testament to her dignity, self-respect, and solidarity within the industry.
At the post-awards press conference, Kapadia expressed her joy at the recognition while also emphasizing the diversity within Indian filmmaking. “There are interesting films being made in India, and I’m only a product of that. Every state has a vibrant film industry, and it’s surprising that it took 30 years for a film to be selected,” she remarked. She particularly noted the contributions of the Malayalam film industry and the Kerala state government in nurturing and promoting quality cinema.
A graduate of the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), Pune, Payal Kapadia is no stranger to Cannes. Her debut documentary, A Night of Knowing Nothing, premiered at the Directors’ Fortnight sidebar in 2021 and won the Oeil d’Or (Golden Eye) for Best Documentary Film. Her earlier film, Afternoon Clouds, was showcased in the Cinefondation section in 2017.
Kapadia praised her alma mater for its role in shaping her cinematic vision, attributing her universal cinematic language to the diverse film education she received at FTII. She remarked on the distinctiveness of Indian cinema, emphasizing that while her film might reach international audiences, it is part of a larger, robust local film culture.
She also celebrated the success of her FTII peers at Cannes. Maisam Ali’s film In Retreat was featured in the ACID sidebar, and Chidananda S Naik’s short film Sunflowers Were The First Ones To Know won the top prize in the official LaCinef section. Kapadia’s acknowledgment of these achievements was both a tribute to her educational background and a full-circle moment, recalling her own student protests against the then FTII chairman Gajendra Chauhan in 2015.
AWIAL not only reflects Kapadia’s artistic vision but also embodies the spirit of resistance and creative dissent. The film intertwines personal and political dilemmas, echoing the themes of her earlier work. During the festival, Kapadia and her team made statements of solidarity: her actor Kani Kusruti carried a watermelon clutch to the film’s red carpet gala in support of Palestine, while Kapadia wore a badge advocating for better wages and recognition for festival workers in France.
This Cannes win represents a significant achievement for Indian cinema, heralding a renewed focus on diverse voices and stories in the global film industry.
