Cannes 2022: Delhi-based director's 'All That Breathes' wins top documentary award

In a proud moment for India, Shaunak Sen's All That Breathes has bagged the 75th Cannes Film Festival’s top documentary award. The poignant documentary is based on two brothers Nadeem and Saud who take up the initiative to save birds as pollution rises and communalism pervades the land. 

The documentary was selected for a special screening at the French Riviera festival. It had earlier won the documentary grand jury prize at the Sundance Film Festival. The film was acquired by HBO Documentary Films during the ongoing global event. 

'All That Breathes' wins Cannes' top documentary award

As per a report by Variety, Delhi-based filmmaker, Shaunak Sen's All That Breathes has won the Golden Eye-- Cannes' Top Documentary award. The jury for the Golden Eye award were Agnieszka Holland, Iryna Tsilyk, Pierre Deladonchamps, Alex Vicente and Hicham Falah. Talking about the film, they said, ''The Golden Eye goes to a film that, in a world of destruction, reminds us that every life matters, and every small action matters,''

''You can grab your camera, you can save a bird, you can hunt for some moments of stealing beauty, it matters. It’s an inspirational journey in observation of three Don Quixotes who may not save the whole world but do save their world,'' they concluded. 

Congratulatory wishes started pouring in for the team of All That Breathes for making the country proud at Cannes 2022. One netizen wrote, ''This is the only news from Cannes that I was hoping to share. Wishes do come true. Zindabad. #AllThatBreathes (sic)''. A second user wrote, ''The only Indian feature-length film officially selected at @Festival_Cannes (not including the restored classics here!) Will return with an Award Kudos to Indian Filmmakers who have taken the leap independently Last year #PayalKapadia won this same award for #Documentary (sic)''.

It is also important to note that last year, Mumbai-based filmmaker Payla Kapadia won the best documentary award at the Cannes Film Festival for A Night of Knowing Nothing. 

(Image: A Still from 'All That Breathes'/@TillotamaShome/Twitter)