Payal Kapadia scripted history by becoming the first Indian filmmaker to win the Grand Prix award at the Cannes Film Festival for her film All We Imagine as Light. The film bagged the award, the second-most prestigious prize of the festival after the Palme d'Or, which went to American director Sean Baker for Anora at the closing ceremony on May 25.

PM Narendra Modi congratulated Kapadia and her team for this historic feat and dubbed it as a “prestigious accolade“.

PM lauds Kapadia's big win at Cannes 2024

Payal Kapadia's All We Imagine As Light, which screened on May 23, is the first Indian film in 30 years and first ever by an Indian female director to be showcased in the main competition at Cannes. As it bagged the Grand Prix award, PM Modi congratulated her and the team.

“India is proud of Payal Kapadia for her historic feat of winning the Grand Prix at the 77th Cannes Film Festival for her work ‘All We Imagine as Light’. An alumnus of FTII, her remarkable talent continues to shine on the global stage, giving a glimpse of the rich creativity in India. This prestigious accolade not only honours her exceptional skills but also inspires a new generation of Indian filmmakers (sic),“ PM Modi wrote in his message on X.

All you need to know about Payal Kapadia and All We Imagine As Light

An alumna of the Film & Television Institute of India (FTII), Payal Kapadia is best known for her acclaimed documentary A Night of Knowing Nothing, which premiered at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival's Director's Fortnight side-bar where it won the Oeil d'or (Golden Eye) award.

All We Imagine As Light is a Malayalam-Hindi feature about Prabha, a nurse, who receives an unexpected gift from her long-estranged husband that throws her life into disarray. Her younger roommate, Anu, tries in vain to find a private spot in the big city to be alone with her boyfriend. The film stars Kani Kusruti, Divya Prabha, Chhaya Kadam and Hridhu Haroon