Indian Filmmaker Payal Kapadia Makes History at Cannes with Debut Fiction Film
Posted by admin on 2024-04-19 |
The Cannes Film Festival, renowned for
cinematic brilliance, is once again buzzing with excitement this year as an
Indian filmmaker prepares to etch her name in its illustrious history.
Payal Kapadia's inaugural feature film, 'All
We Imagine As Light,' has earned a spot in the prestigious Palme d'Or
competition, making it the first Indian film to do so in nearly thirty years.
Additionally, British-Indian filmmaker
Sandhya Suri's film 'Santosh' has earned a spot in the Un Certain Regard
section of the festival.
Synopsis
of the Film
‘All We Imagine As Light’ follows the story
of Prabha, a nurse, who receives an unexpected gift from her long estranged
husband. This causes disruption in her life. Her younger roommate, Anu, tries
in vain to find a private spot in the big city to be alone with her boyfriend.
One day, the two nurses go on a road trip to a beach town where the mystical
forest becomes a space for their dreams to manifest.
Not
the First Trip to Cannes
This monumental feat propels Kapadia into the
limelight, and her inspiring journey to Cannes is worth delving into. The
previous Indian film to grace this esteemed category was Shaji N Karun’s
'Swaham' back in 1994.
Kapadia is no stranger to Cannes. In 2017,
Kapadia's short film, Afternoon Clouds, became the first FTII student film to
be selected by the Cannes festival for its film school competition, now called
La Cinef.
Fellow
Competitors
Joining Kapadia in the Palme d'Or competition
are cinematic giants like Francis Ford Coppola from the U.S., David Cronenberg
from Canada, Jia Zhangke from China, Jacques Audiard from France, Paolo
Sorrentino from Italy, and the American legend Paul Schrader. Both Coppola and
Audiard have previously clinched the top prize at Cannes. Leading the jury this
year is Greta Gerwig, the director behind 'Ladybird' and 'Barbie.'
Indian
Films at Cannes
The Indian films which have been selected for
Cannes’ competition section include Chetan Anand’s ‘Neecha Nagar’ (1946), V
Shantaram’s ‘Amar Bhoopali’ (1952), Raj Kapoor’s ‘Awaara’ (1953), Satyajit
Ray’s ‘Parash Pathar’ (1958), MS Sathyu’s ‘Garm Hava’ (1974) and Mrinal Sen’s
Kharij (1983). Neecha Nagar is the only Indian film that was awarded a Palme
d’Or.
The Cannes Film Festival is set to take place
from May 14 to 25.
