Payal Kapadia’s ‘All We Imagine as Light’ wins Best International Feature at Gotham Awards 2024
Payal Kapadia’s ‘All We Imagine as Light’ wins Best International Feature at Gotham Awards 2024
Indian filmmaker Payal Kapadia’s All We Imagine as Light triumphed at the 2024 Gotham Awards, earning the Best International Feature award during the ceremony held on Monday night at Cipriani Wall Street, New York City. The film, a Malayalam-Hindi drama, stood out in a competitive category featuring Green Border, Hard Truths, Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell, and Vermiglio.
Accepting the award, Kapadia expressed her excitement, stating, “It’s our first fiction narrative feature film, so it is super nice to get this.” The victory is particularly significant as the film was not chosen as India’s official entry for the Best International Feature Film category at the upcoming Oscars, a spot occupied by Kiran Rao’s Laapataa Ladies.
Kapadia highlighted the representation of Indian women filmmakers, telling IndieWire, “I just think it’s really great that there are two films from India that are doing this well, and they’re both by women. So it’s a great year for us.”
All We Imagine as Light, which had its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival in May 2023, has had a remarkable journey, including winning the Grand Prix award at Cannes — a historic first for an Indian film. The movie also received the Jury Grand Prize at the 2024 Asia Pacific Screen Awards, adding to its accolades.
The film follows Prabha (Kani Kusruti), a nurse in Mumbai whose life takes unexpected turns when her estranged husband sends her a rice cooker. Alongside Prabha’s narrative, the film explores the lives of her roommate Anu (Divya Prabha) and friend Parvati (Chhaya Kadam), weaving a poignant tale of urban struggles and resilience.
The Gotham Awards celebrated excellence across independent cinema, with A Different Man winning Best Feature, and Colman Domingo (Sing Sing) taking home Outstanding Lead Performance.
