From Winner To Juror: Payal Kapadia Returns To Cannes

India-West News Desk

MUMBAI – Following her historic Grand Prix win at last year’s Cannes Film Festival for ‘All We Imagine As Light,’ Indian filmmaker Payal Kapadia has returned to the Croisette, this year taking on the role of a jury member.

Kapadia joined a distinguished panel of international artists, including Hollywood star Halle Berry, Italian actress Alba Rohrwacher, French-Moroccan writer Leila Slimani, Congolese filmmaker Dieudo Hamadi, and Korean director Hong Sang-soo, for a press conference and photocall on Tuesday, ahead of the festival’s official opening.

In 2024, Kapadia’s ‘All We Imagine as Light’ made waves by securing the prestigious Grand Prix, a landmark achievement making her the first Indian director to receive the honor.

The film, an Indo-French co-production from Petit Chaos and Chalk and Cheese Films, centers on Prabha, a Mumbai-based nurse whose life is unexpectedly touched by a gift from her estranged husband, leading her and her roommate Anu on a transformative journey to a coastal town and its mystical forest. The film also garnered two nominations at the 82nd Golden Globe Awards