India scripted history at Cannes Film Festival this year as Payal Kapadia's Malayalam-Hindi film All We Imagine As Light won the country its first Grand Prix award. After Shaji Karun's Swaham, which competed for the Palme d'Or at the 1994 Cannes, Payal's film was the first Indian title in 30 years to be selected for the Competiton section. This win also made Payal the first female director from India to take home the prestigious award.
Who Is Payal Kapadia?
Born in 1986 in Mumbai, Payal Kapadia completed her Bachelors in Economics from St. Xavier's College. However, she didn't know what career to pursue after completing her graduation. In an interview with Brut, Payal said that frequenting film festivals made her realise that she wanted to become a filmmaker.
She applied to Film and Television Institute of India, Pune, after watching some students' films and being very impressed by them. However, her application was rejected. Payal then worked a bit in the industry that helped her learn the art of filmmaking and got through FTII in 2012 after reapplying.
The Protest That Led to an FIR Against Her
Payal's stint at FTII was anything but easy. In 2015, she boycotted classes and led a 4-month-long protest against the appointment of actor-turned-politician Gajendra Chauhan as FTII chairman. The institute initiated a disciplinary action against her, revoked her grant and even filed an FIR against Payal.
Payal Powered Through Despite Hurdles
The FTII incident did not stop Payal from following her dream. In 2017, her short film Afternoon Clouds was selected for Cannes and screened in Cinefondation, a non-profit organisation set up by Cannes to promote new filmmakers. FTII then extended support to Payal & covered her travel expenses. In 2021, Payal's documentary A Night of Knowing Nothing won the O'eil d'Or award at Cannes.
For Payal's 2024 win, congratulatory wishes poured in from across the country. From Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Rahul Gandhi and celebrities across industries, everyone congratulated Payal for the monumental win.
Even FTII took to X to shower praise on Payal, but that did not sit well with netizens. Many even took to social media to call out the hypocrisy.
All We Imagine As Light received an eight-minute-long standing ovation at the premiere, and the team made quite an impression by dancing their way to the venue.
More power to you, Payal!
Video Editor: Veeru Krishan Mohan
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