The film’s stars Kani Kusruti, Chhaya Kadam and Divya Prabha, who joined Payal Kapadia onstage at the ceremony. Following the ceremony, Kapadia said, “We really had a very strong friendship and connection. I think when you have that in real life, that camaraderie, it shows in the film”

Payal Kapadia scripted history on Saturday by becoming the first Indian filmmaker to win the prestigious Grand Prix at the Cannes Film Festival. The competition jury, led by Greta Gerwig, awarded the festival’s second highest honour to Kapadia’s All That We Imagine As Light. At Cannes, Payal was asked for the nth time why it took India 30 years to be selected for the competition section.

She asserted, “There are interesting films being made in India, and I’m only a product of that. There are a lot of films, a lot of interesting filmmakers, and a variety of work that is taking place in all languages and not just Bollywood. Every state has a strong film industry. We (the Indian film industry) have been around for a long time, but for some reason, it took 30 years to be selected. There is just amazing work going on in our country, and I’m really glad that we see the cinema that we do from India.”

Indian director Payal Kapadia celebrates with her cast after she was awarded with the Grand Prix for the film "All We Imagine as Light" during the Closing Ceremony at the 77th edition of the Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, southern France, on May 25, 2024.

Kapadia added, “I think we have our own vocabulary in cinema, and it’s very self-contained in India. We understand the gestures in our communities, and there is not always a need to send a film to a festival because we have our own (film) festivals. Lots of people go out to watch films. This is just one film amongst thousands of films, and it’s good that we have all kinds of films – some festival films and some not-so-festival films (laughs). So, everything should exist together. That’s what’s wonderful about cinema.”

Talking about Indian films, she said, “Everything is changing. Even what Bollywood is, is changing all the time. So, there is no one kind of cinema, especially cinema from Kerala has an immense amount of range of the films that are being made.”

In response to a question on the sound design of the film, Kapadia said, “Sound is a very important element of my work. In Mumbai, if you’re from there, you know that it is never silent. Even the sound of silence is specific — there is always the distant sound of trains or construction. Of course, this was torture for our sound recordist from France, who just could not understand why there was so much sound. I think this is the joy of co-production that we learn from each other.”

When asked if she thinks that female solidarity and more films by women are happening across the world, Kapadia said that she would like to believe that’s true. “It’s wonderful that there are more films being made by female filmmakers, female technicians, female sound recordists. We need many more, but change is happening gradually but surely. I think it only makes things more inclusive. And I hope that we could have more films from female filmmakers in Cannes.”

-------------------------------------------------------

Thank you very much, Cannes Film Festival, for having our film here. Please don't wait another 30 years to have another Indian film. This film is about friendship between three women, and oftentimes women are pitted against each other. This is the way society is designed, and it is very unfortunate. But for me, friendship is a very important relationship because it can lead to gender solidarity, inclusivity and empathy towards each other.

- Payal Kapadia in her acceptance speech.

While this is Kapadia’s first feature film, she is not a newcomer at Cannes. In 2021, her documentary A Night of Knowing Nothing won the Golden Eye for the best documentary film. It was also part of the Directors’ Fortnight section. In 2017, when she was at FTII, her short film Afternoon Clouds was shortlisted for the Cinéfondation section (for student films).