Payal Kapadia Wins India's First Palme d'Or at Cannes
The Mumbai-set drama about two Kerala nurses becomes the first Indian film to take the Cannes Film Festival's highest honour.
Payal Kapadia's second feature, All We Imagine as Light, has won the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival, becoming the first Indian film to take the festival's highest honour in its 77-year history. The drama follows two nurses from Kerala building lives in contemporary Mumbai.
The jury, presided over by director Greta Gerwig, praised the film's “exceptional humanity, its careful observation of the invisible lives at the heart of a great city, and the extraordinary quality of its silences.” Kapadia dedicated the award to women in India who carry unseen burdens in silence.
Key Highlights
- First Indian film to win the Palme d'Or in the festival's 77-year history.
- Directed by Payal Kapadia; her second feature film.
- Jury led by American filmmaker Greta Gerwig.
- Shot over four years in Mumbai, Ratnagiri and Kerala.
- Funded by France-Luxembourg co-production, an FTII grant and community crowd-funding.
What the Film Is About
The story centres on Prabha, a senior nurse who receives an unexpected package from her estranged husband in Germany, and her younger colleague Anu, who is in a relationship with a Muslim man against family pressure. Their lives unfold across night-shift hospital work and the sensory landscape of Mumbai's industrial waterfront.
Kapadia shot with a small crew and natural light, using an observational, documentary-influenced style that blurs the line between fiction and non-fiction. Both lead performers are non-professional actors.
How the Film Was Made
The production stitched together international co-production support from France and Luxembourg, a grant from the Film and Television Institute of India, and crowd-funding from the Indian independent film community — a financing model that reflects both the ambition and the constraints of art cinema in India.
The win at a glance
| Detail | Fact |
|---|---|
| Director | Payal Kapadia (second feature) |
| Award | Palme d'Or, Cannes Film Festival |
| Jury president | Greta Gerwig |
| Setting | Contemporary Mumbai; nurses from Kerala |
| Shooting locations | Mumbai, Ratnagiri, Kerala |
| Funding | France-Luxembourg co-production, FTII grant, crowd-funding |
Why the Palme d'Or Matters
The Palme d'Or is the top prize at Cannes, one of the world's most prestigious film festivals, and a win reliably reshapes a film's global distribution and a director's career. For Indian cinema, the award lands at a moment when international attention centres on the box-office spectacle of commercial Hindi and Tamil films.
Kapadia's win widens that frame, spotlighting a quieter, observational, linguistically plural tradition that coexists with the blockbuster ecosystem but rarely receives comparable recognition abroad.
Official Response
The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting congratulated Kapadia and said the government would ensure a wide theatrical release across India. Critics renewed calls for a dedicated international co-production incentive fund to support Indian art cinema with export potential.
The recognition complements a broader push to make Indian storytelling travel, visible too in efforts to fund regional-language films through streaming partnerships and to preserve classic Indian films through digitisation.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is All We Imagine as Light about?
Two nurses from Kerala — Prabha and Anu — navigating work and relationships in contemporary Mumbai.
Who directed it?
Payal Kapadia; it is her second feature film.
Why is the win historic?
It is the first time an Indian film has won the Palme d'Or, Cannes' highest honour, in the festival's 77-year history.
Who led the Cannes jury?
Filmmaker Greta Gerwig served as jury president.
How was the film financed?
Through a France-Luxembourg co-production, an FTII grant and crowd-funding from India's independent film community.
Sources
- Cannes Film Festival — awards announcement and jury citation
- Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India
- Film and Television Institute of India