Filmmaker Payal Kapadia has made history with her film “All We Imagine As Light,” which won the prestigious Grand Prix at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival. The film was a strong contender for the top award, Palme d’Or, ultimately awarded to Sean Baker’s comedy-drama “Anora.“
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… pic.twitter.com/aMJbsbmNoE
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) May 26, 2024
Prime Minister Narendra Modi extended his heartfelt congratulations to Kapadia. “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,” PM Modi posted on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter. “This prestigious accolade not only honours her exceptional skills but also inspires a new generation of Indian filmmakers.“
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi extended his heartfelt congratulations to Kapadia. “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,” PM Modi posted on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter. “This prestigious accolade not only honors her exceptional skills but also inspires a new generation of Indian filmmakers.“
Many congratulations to FTII alumnus Payal Kapadia for winning the Grand Prix at the 77th Cannes Film Festival for her film All We Imagine as Light. This makes it the first Grand Prix win for the country and a nomination in the Palme d'Or after 30 years.
— Anurag Thakur (मोदी का परिवार) (@ianuragthakur) May 26, 2024
Bharat's creative… pic.twitter.com/Ad915hXMZ0
Union Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur also praised Kapadia’s achievement. “Many congratulations to FTII alumnus Payal Kapadia for winning the Grand Prix at the 77th Cannes Film Festival for her film ‘All We Imagine as Light’. This marks the first Grand Prix win for the country and a nomination in the Palme d’Or after 30 years,” Thakur said. He further highlighted India’s cinematic achievements this year, stating, “Bharat’s creative economy is indeed shining with 3 films winning awards this year at Cannes.“
Indian stars shining bright at the 77th Cannes Film Festival!
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) May 26, 2024
Congratulations to Payal Kapadia and the entire team of 'All We Imagine As Light' for clinching the prestigious Grand Prix award.
Kudos to Anasuya Sengupta for winning the Best Actress award under the Un Certain… pic.twitter.com/5lRPgdeezI
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi joined the chorus of congratulations. “Indian stars shining bright at the 77th Cannes Film Festival! Congratulations to Payal Kapadia and the entire team of ‘All We Imagine As Light’ for clinching the prestigious Grand Prix award,” Gandhi posted. He also applauded Anasuya Sengupta for winning the Best Actress award in the Un Certain Regard section for her performance in “The Shameless.“
‘All We Imagine As Light’ Receives Acclaim
Kapadia’s directorial debut received critical acclaim and made history as the first Indian film in 30 years and the first by an Indian female director to be showcased in the main competition at Cannes. Kapadia, an alumna of the Film & Television Institute of India (FTII), is previously known for her documentary “A Night of Knowing Nothing,” which premiered at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival’s Director’s Fortnight side-bar, winning the Oeil d’or (Golden Eye) award.
A momentous occasion for Indian Cinema as Payal Kapadia, Kani Kusruthi, Divya Prabha, Chhaya Kadam, and the talented team behind "All We Imagine as Light" bask in glory!
— Mohanlal (@Mohanlal) May 26, 2024
Immense love and gratitude to Anasuya Sengupta and the illustrious Santosh Sivan for their remarkable… pic.twitter.com/uBuiluSTYi
Industry Praise
Kapadia’s triumph was met with widespread praise from the Indian film industry. Veteran actor Mohanlal called it “a momentous occasion for Indian Cinema as Payal Kapadia, Kani Kusruthi, Divya Prabha, Chhaya Kadam, and the talented team behind ‘All We Imagine as Light’ bask in glory.“
Making Indian Cinema Proud. What an amazing achievement.
— Mammootty (@mammukka) May 26, 2024
Congrats to Payal Kapadia, Kani Kusruthi, Divya Prabha, Chhaya Kadam and the entire team of All We Imagine as Light pic.twitter.com/OW1eRE8YVp
Actor Mammootty added, “Making Indian Cinema proud. What an amazing achievement. Congrats to Payal Kapadia, Kani Kusruthi, Divya Prabha, Chhaya Kadam, and the entire team of ‘All We Imagine as Light’.“
Unbelievable day for Indian cinema. An independent filmmaker - from much hated FTII - whose first film was a poetic love letter to the idea of dissent in a democracy, wins the second highest honour at the biggest film festival in the world.
— वरुण 🇮🇳 (@varungrover) May 25, 2024
Payal Kapadia’s ALL WE IMAGINE AS… pic.twitter.com/0YPOSxPScG
Film director and writer Varun Grover remarked, “Unbelievable day for Indian cinema. An independent filmmaker – from much hated FTII – whose first film was a poetic love letter to the idea of dissent in a democracy, wins the second highest honour at the biggest film festival in the world. Payal Kapadia’s ‘All We Imagine As Light’ wins Grand Prix. Magical to see four Indian women on stage at Cannes.”
The Cannes win marks a significant milestone for Indian cinema, showcasing the country’s rich creative talent on the global stage and inspiring future generations of filmmakers.
