Payal Kapadia's Indian film All We Imagine As Light wins Grand Prix Award at Cannes
Cannes/IBNS: Scripting history, Payal Kapadia's All We Imagine As Light, an Indian film, won the Grand Prix, the second highest award at the Cannes Film Festival on Saturday.
All We Imagine As Light was also the first Indian film in 30 years to compete for the top prize Palme d'Or at the 77th edition of Cannes Film Festival, where Kapadia's work received an eight-minute standing ovation after the screening.
Payal Kapadia is the first Indian to win the Cannes Grand Prix for her debut feature film - All We Imagine As Light. She accepted the award on stage with her actors Kani Kusruti, Divya Prabha and Chhaya Kadam.
— India Wants To Know: India's First Panel Quiz Show (@IWTKQuiz) May 25, 2024
What a moment for Indian Cinema. What a moment for IndiađŽđłđ pic.twitter.com/RMsQyWjZhU
Kapadia's film, which features Kani Kusruti, Divya Prabha, Chhaya Kadam, Hridu Haroon, has already garnered positive reviews.
Giving 5 stars in its review, The Guardian called the film "glorious… an absorbing story full of humanity".
The critic has analysed the film keeping it at par with Oscar winning Indian filmmaker Satyajit Ray's Mahanagar and Aranyer Din Ratri.
Luminous Red Steps Montée des Marches lumineuse
— Festival de Cannes (@Festival_Cannes) May 23, 2024
ALL WE IMAGINE AS LIGHT – PAYAL KAPADIA
Avec l’équipe du film / With the film crew
Chhaya Kadam, Hridhu Haroon, Kani Kusruti, Payal Kapadia, Divya Prabha, Ranabir Das, Julien Graff, Zico Maitra, Thomas Hakim#Cannes2024… pic.twitter.com/upZGnVqEPe
IndieWire in its review says, "This casual everyday vignette is brimming with a sensuality (the rain, the clothes, the food, the women) that people don't tend to notice when caught up in the rhythm of life.
"It takes a snapshot from a photographer removed from the situation to make you realise how full these moments are."
All We Imagine As Light is a story about two nurses from the south Indian state of Kerala working at a hospital and living together at a congested apartment in Mumbai.
Last night, eight minutes long standing ovation for #PayalKapadia’s #AllWeImagineAsLight. Finally India at the centerstage @Festival_Cannes. pic.twitter.com/X49mbDNprz
— Aseem Chhabra (@chhabs) May 24, 2024
The story tracks the two nurses- Prabha and Anu- who suffer in their individual relationships.
While Prabha's husband lives in Germany and barely keeps in touch, Anu is in a relationship with a Muslim man from Kerala knowing the relationship won't be approved by her family.
Prabha is played by Kani Kasruti while Anu is essayed by Divya Prabha.
Speaking to Deadline about the film, Kapadia, 38, earlier said, "India is a country that makes a lot of good films. Not just Bollywood but every state has its industry and there are absolutely brilliant filmmakers."
IBNS
Senior Staff Reporter at Northeast Herald, covering news from Tripura and Northeast India.
Related Articles

Prayers are answered!â Katrina Kaif, Vicky Kaushal reveal first photo and name of their newborn son
Bollywoodâs power couple Katrina Kaif and Vicky Kaushal have shared the first glimpse of their newborn son and revealed his name to the public.

âShah Rukh Khan is the GOATâ: GOT star Sophie Turner names her Bollywood favourites, eyes Hindi film
Los Angeles/IBNS: Game of Thrones star Sophie Turner has named Bollywood superstars Shah Rukh Khan and Deepika Padukone as her favourite actors from Indian cinema, while expressing her desire to feature in a Hindi film.

The Girl Who Cried Pearls earns spot on TIFF Canadaâs 2025 Top Ten list
The National Film Board of Canadaâs animated short The Girl Who Cried Pearls was named to TIFFâs Canadaâs Top Ten list for 2025.

Matthew Perry: A Hollywood Tragedy premieres on discovery+ India
Warner Bros. Discovery India's Matthew Perry: A Hollywood Tragedy has premiered exclusively on discovery+ on January 2, 2026.
Latest News

DRI, Assam Rifles seize gold biscuits and cash from two jewellery shops in Agartala, 3 arrested

Bangladesh weighs JF-17 fighter jet deal with Pakistan as defence ties resetâWhat it means for India

European allies draw up contingency plan as Trump rekindles Greenland takeover threat

Stanford AI can predict 130 diseases from just one night of sleep

