Cannes 2024: Payal Kapadia’s ‘All We Imagine As Light’ to compete for the Palme d’Or

Payal Kapadia’s drama is the first Indian title in over 40 years to feature in the prestigious In Competition section of the Cannes Film Festival

Indian filmmaker Payal Kapadia's All We Imagine As Light on Thursday scripted history by becoming the first Indian title in over 40 years to feature in the prestigious In Competition section of the Cannes Film Festival, where it will vie for the top prize Palme d'Or.

Iris Knobloch, president of the Cannes Festival, and Thierry Fremaux, General Delegate, announced the official selection line-up for the 2024 edition of the gala at a press conference streamed live from Cannes, France.

Besides Ms. Kapadia, British-Indian filmmaker Sandhya Suri's Santosh will also be showcased at the 77th edition of the film gala. The movie will be screened under the Un Certain Regard section.

Ms. Kapadia's All We Imagine As Light will be presented under the main segment alongside 19 other highly anticipated titles, including films from master directors Francis Ford Coppola (Megalopolis) and Yorgos Lanthimos (Kinds of Kindness).

Oh Canada by Paul Schrader, Bird by Andrea Arnold, The Shrouds by David Cronenberg, and Anora by Sean Baker are also part of the main Competition slate.

Ms. Kapadia, an alumna of the Film & Television Institute of India (FTII), is best known for her acclaimed documentary A Night of Knowing Nothing, which premiered at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival's Director's Fortnight side-bar where it won the Oeil d'or (Golden Eye) award.

All We Imagine As Light, also written by Ms. Kapadia, marks her narrative feature debut.