The Payal Kapadia film has been shortlisted by France as an official Academy Award candidate from the country.
Published Sep 19, 2024 | 4:57 PM ⚊ Updated Sep 19, 2024 | 5:18 PM
Team 'All We Imagine As Light' after the Grandprix win at the Cannes Film Festival 2024. (X)
The Cannes 2024 Grand Prix winner, Payal Kapadia-directed All We Imagine As Light, is all set to release in Kerala on 21 September. However, in Malayalam, the film will be titled Prabhayay Ninachathellam.
All We Imagine As Light witnessed a successful run at many international festivals and it will have “a limited screen run” in the coming week in Kerala, which is home to one of the Indian languages that the film is in.
According to a press note shared by the film’s team, the Malayalam-Hindi film will be subsequently released across all major cities in India.
About her debut feature’s release in India, filmmaker Payala Kapadia said, “At the heart of the film are two women who come from Kerala to work and realise their life’s ambitions in Mumbai. So, it is only appropriate that the first state to see the film in theatres is to be Kerala. I am excited for the film to be watched in all parts of India as our release progresses.”
Payal Kapadia is a graduate of the Film and Television Institute of India, Pune.
The Indian distribution rights for All We Imagine As Light have been acquired by Spirit Media, founded by Baahubali actor Rana Daggubati.
Sharing this opinion about the movie, Rana Daggubati said, “We are proud to be able to bring this incredible film to audiences in India, starting with Kerala where the two leading characters of the story are from.”
He further added, “Indian cinema has a rich legacy of storytelling, and this film captures the Indian experience through characters speaking multiple languages coming from different parts of the country with similar shared dreams to a metropolis like Mumbai.”
The movie will have an exclusive screening at the Shenoys Theatre in Kochi, the theatre owner confirmed with South First. It’s not sure if the movie will have screenings in other parts of the state.
When contacted, another exhibitor told South First that if the movie receives a good response from audiences and demand rises for more screenings, then we will think of screening it in other theatres.
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Meanwhile, All We Imagine As Light will represent France at the Oscars 2025. It has been shortlisted by France as an official Academy Award candidate from the country.
The film made history earlier this year at the Cannes Film Festival 2024. It’s the first Indian film ever to win the prestigious Grand Prix Award, which is the second-most prestigious prize of the festival after the Palme d’Or, during the closing ceremony of the 77th edition.
The film is 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. One day, the two Malayali nurses go on a road trip to a beach town, where the mystical forest becomes a space for their dreams to manifest.
Kani Kusruti and Divya Prabha portrayed Prabha and Anu respectively in the flick. Chhaya Kadam and Hridhu Haroon also played major roles in the movie.
It also received a standing ovation at the Jerusalem Film Festival 2024, held in July.
All We Imagine As Light is an Indo-French co-production between Petit Chaos from France and Chalk and Cheese Films from India.
(Edited by Y Krishna Jyothi)
