The director also gave a shout out to the festival workers who had protested at the opening night gala, demanding better wages.
Cannes: Payal Kapadia has 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 Saturday night.
Kapadia’s movie, which screened on Thursday night, is the first Indian film in 30 years and first ever by an Indian female director to be showcased in the main competition.
The last Indian movie to be selected for the main competition was Shaji N Karun’s 1994 movie “Swaham”.
Kapadia received the Grand Prix from American actor Viola Davis. In her speech, the filmmaker thanked the three leading ladies of the film — Kani Kusruti, Divya Prabha and Chhaya Kadam — and said the film would not have been possible without them.
“I’m very nervous, so I wrote something down. Thank you to the Cannes Film Festival for having our film here. Please don’t wait 30 years to have another Indian film.
“This film is about friendship, about three very different women. Oftentimes, women are pitted against each other. This is the way our society is designed and it is really unfortunate. But for me, friendship is a very important relationship because it can lead to greater solidarity, inclusivity and empathy,” said Kapadia, who was accompanied by the three actors on the stage.
The director also gave a shout out to the festival workers who had protested at the opening night gala, demanding better wages and acknowledgement.
“All We Imagine as Light”, a Malayalam-Hindi feature, is about Prabha, a nurse, who receives an unexpected gift from her long estranged husband that throws her life into disarray.
