All We Imagine as Light director Payal Kapadia at Cannes: 'Please don't wait for another 30 years...'
In her acceptance speech, Payal Kapadia took the opportunity to thank the entire cast and crew behind All We Imagine as Light while expressing her hope and desire to see the movie reach a wider audience worldwide.
Updated : May 26, 2024 11:25 AM ISTIn her acceptance speech, Payal Kapadia took the opportunity to thank the entire cast and crew behind All We Imagine as Light while expressing her hope and desire to see the movie reach a wider audience worldwide.
All We Imagine as Light wins Grand Prix at Cannes.
Independent filmmaker Payal Kapadia made history at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival on Saturday night when her movie All We Imagine as Light won the coveted Grand Prix, the second-highest award of the festival.
When Payal was invited on stage to collect the trophy, she brought along the three women actors who played principal characters in her movie. "Without them, I don't think this film would have been possible. Three women who gave me so much and contributed to the film like a family and made it their own," she explained.
Actors Kani Kusruti, Divya Prabha, and Chhaya Kadam accompanied Payal to the stage, and together they collected the prestigious award. "It's a dream to be selected in the competition and this was beyond my imagination. Thank you," said Payal.
In her acceptance speech, Payal took the opportunity to thank the entire cast and crew behind the movie, while expressing her hope and desire to see All We Imagine as Light reach a wider audience worldwide.
"Thank you, Cannes Film Festival, for having us here. Please don't wait for another 30 years to have another Indian film. Thank you so much to my producers, who supported this weird idea. Thank you, everyone, because it really takes a village to make a film," she noted.
Payal also briefly discussed All We Imagine as Light and the themes and issues it tackles. "The journey for this film is now on, and I think it is really important. This film is about three very different women and, oftentimes, women are pitted against each other. This is how society is designed, which is really unfortunate," she said.
"But for me, friendship is a really important relationship because it can lead to greater solidarity, inclusivity, and empathy towards each other. I feel these are the values we should always be striving for," she added.
The only other Indian film, besides All We Imagine as Light, to have won a top prize at Cannes was Neecha Nagar. Director Chetan Anand's domestic drama won the Palme d’Or, earlier known as the Grand Prix du Festival International du Film, in 1946.