Payal Kapadia of India Creates History at Cannes

Payal Kapadia's film "All We Imagine As Light" is the first Indian film in 30 years to compete for the Palme d'Or at Cannes, telling an acclaimed story of two nurses navigating love and careers in Mumbai.

An Indian story of love and the bond between sisters is set to make waves at the Cannes Film Festival this year. Indian filmmaker Payal Kapadia’s first narrative feature film “All We Imagine As Light” opened Thursday night in the competition division after 30 years of no Indian film competing for the Palme d’Or top award.

The 38-year-old director was on the receiving end of a film that was followed by an 8-minute standing ovation. It has received commendations from the critics with The Guardian describing it as glorious and an absorbing story full of humanity that can be compared to the movies of Satyajit Ray.

The play, “All We Imagine As Light,” is located and performed in the modern city of Mumbai, India, and revolves around the lives of two nurses from Kerala working in a hospital and living in a rented flat. One is married but separated from her husband, the other has a boyfriend secretly which her Hindu family will not accept.

The movie gives a realistic portrayal of the daily lives of immigrants in the city of Mumbai and their struggles, which is the population that keeps the city alive. Kapadia then superimposes the sounds of the street and the real-life testimonies of immigrants narrating their hardships and ordeals.

Having bagged the top documentary award at Cannes last year for ‘A Night of Knowing Nothing’, Kapadia knows all about India’s struggle for equality and liberalizing values. Her new film further develops that theme by focusing on women and their struggles for career success and love in the city that is Mumbai.

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Cannes is one of the major festivals in the world and while Indian cinema has tasted success at international film festivals, the opportunity to lay hands on the prestigious Palme d’Or has been a distant dream until now. With ‘All We Imagine As Light,’ Kapadia has created history and brought Indian cinema to the center stage.