All We Imagine as Light

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Centring on three co-workers and friends, Payal Kapadia's film alights on moments of connection and heartache, disappointment and hope. Prabha, her husband from an arranged marriage living in faraway Germany, is courted by a doctor at her hospital; Anu carries on a romance with a Muslim man, which she must keep a secret from her strict Hindu family; Parvaty finds herself dealing with a sudden eviction from her apartment.

Kapadia captures the delicate intricacies of their lives within the bustle of the soaked metropolis and open-air tranquillity of a seaside village, with equal radiance, articulated by her superb actresses and a stunning naturalism, which employs a European aesthetic to further enhance the film's emotional core.

All We Imagine as Light was the first Indian film to be selected in the Official Competition at Cannes in three decades. Payal Kapadia also made history as the first female Indian filmmaker ever to have a film in this prestigious section of the festival. A worthy winner of the Grand Prix and one of the best films released this year.