Cannes-winning Indian film All We Imagine as Light shortlisted for Oscars by France

Payal Kapadia’s feature becomes first Indian film ever to win Grand Prix at Cannes

Indian filmmaker Payal Kapadia’s film All We Imagine as Light has been shortlisted by France as an entry for the Oscars, and could yet be listed by India as well – if it is ever actually released there.

All We Imagine as Light, with a primarily Indian cast and crew, became the first film from the country in three decades to compete at Cannes in the main competition this year, and the first to win the prestigious Grand Prix. At the Oscars, the film will compete in the international feature category.

The film, with dialogue in several Indian languages including Hindi, Marathi and Malayalam, follows nurse Prabha and her roommate Anu as they navigate life in Mumbai city, and stars Indian actors Kani Kusruti, Divya Prabha, Chhaya Kadam, and Hridhu Haroon.

“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,” Kapadia said, accepting the award in Cannes in May.

All We Imagine as Light was produced by Thomas Hakim and Julian Graff through their French company Petit Chaos and co-produced by Indian companies Chalk & Cheese Films and Another Birth as well as BALDR Film from the Netherlands, Luxembourg’s Les Films Fauves, Italy’s Pulpa Films, and France’s Arte France Cinéma.

Divya Prabha, Payal Kapadia, Chhaya Kadam and Kani Kusruti pose with the Grand Prix Award for ‘All We Imagine As Light’ at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival (Getty)

It found distributors in most major nations and is set to become one of the most theatrically distributed Indian indies of all time, according to Variety.

It is set to release in US theatres on 15 November, on 2 October in France and on 29 November in the UK.

However, despite premiering months ago at Cannes, the film was only acquired for distribution in India on 9 September by Spirit Media, founded by Baahubali star Rana Daggubati. There is still no official release date announced for India.

“After garnering love from audiences at festivals abroad, we are thrilled to bring Payal’s All We Imagine as Light to Indian viewers,” Daggubati said.

“Our partnership with this incredible film is a step forward in our efforts to bring compelling and moving stories from different parts of the country to audiences everywhere.”

Whether India has certified the film is unclear as a search on the website of the statutory certification body CBFC didn’t show any entry for it. A film can’t be released in theatres in India without being certified by the CBFC.

For All We Imagine as Light to be considered for submission to the Oscars from India, it has to meet certain requirements. According to the rules of the Film Federation of India, the movie must be released between 1 November 2023 and 30 September 2024, and run for a “minimum of 7 days in theatres before the deadline of 30 September 2024”.

This gives All We Imagine as Light a little under two weeks to fulfil this requirement.

The Independent has reached out to the CBFC for comment.

Selena Gomez in ‘Emilia Perez’ (Instagram)

In France, All We Imagine as Light has a tough fight on its hands as it is on the shortlist along with Emilia Perez, The Count of Monte Cristo, and Misericordia.

All four films premiered at the Cannes film festival where Emilia Perez won the Jury Prize and the Best Actress prize for its ensemble cast of Karla Sofía Gascón, Selena Gomez, Zoe Saldana and Adriana Paz.

According to Variety, the Indian co-producers of All We Imagine as Light have submitted it for selection in the country.

French producer Thomas Hakim, Indian director Payal Kapadia and French producer Julien Graff at the presentation of All We Imagine as Light at The Deauville American Film Festival (AFP via Getty)

“While the film’s themes are global, this is a story about Mumbai and the lives of women in the city and in India. It would be a great honour to represent our home country at the Academy Awards. We think it could be a source of great joy for India in the way we felt it was after the film won the Grand Prix at Cannes,” Zico Maitra of Chalk & Cheese Films told Variety.