Explained: Why Is 'All We Imagine As Light' Representing France At Oscars 2024

Indian filmmaker Payal Kapadia’s film All We Imagine as Light has been selected by France as an entry for the Oscars, with the possibility of being submitted by India as well, if it gets a domestic release. The film stars Indian actors Kani Kusruti, Divya Prabha, Chhaya Kadam, and Hridhu Haroon.

Indian Film 'All We Imagine As Light' Shortlisted For Oscars By France

This film, featuring a predominantly Indian cast and crew, made history by being the first Indian film in three decades to compete in the main competition at the Cannes Film Festival, where it won the prestigious Grand Prix. Now it will compete in the international feature category at the Academy Awards.

The film, co-produced by Indian companies Chalk & Cheese Films and Another Birth, as well as BALDR Film from the Netherlands, Luxembourg’s Les Films Fauves, Italy’s Pulpa Films, and Arte France Cinéma, is set to become one of the most widely distributed Indian indie films of all time, according to Variety. It will be released in US theatres on November 15, in France on October 2, and in the UK on November 29.

Why Has the Film Still Not Been Released in India?

Despite its premiere at Cannes months ago, the film was only acquired for Indian distribution on September 9 by Spirit Media, founded by Rana Daggubati. “After receiving love from audiences at festivals abroad, we are thrilled to bring Payal’s All We Imagine as Light to Indian viewers,” Daggubati said. However, no official release date for India has been announced yet.

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Certification Issues in India

One potential delay could be certification. A search on the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) website shows no record of the film. For theatrical release in India, a film must be certified by the CBFC, and without this certification, it cannot be screened in cinemas.

How Will This Affect India's Oscar Submission Eligibility?

For All We Imagine as Light to be considered for India’s Oscar submission, it must meet specific criteria. According to the Film Federation of India, the movie needs to be released between November 1, 2023, and September 30, 2024, and must run in theatres for a minimum of seven days before the deadline of September 30, 2024. This leaves the film with just under two weeks to qualify for submission to the Academy Awards.

All We Imagine as Light: Plot and Other Details

All We Imagine As Light, an Indo-French collaboration, delves into the story of Prabha, a nurse, who receives an unexpected gift from her long-lost husband, stirring up feelings of unease within her. Meanwhile, her younger friend and roommate, Anu, embarks on a quest to find an isolated spot to be with her lover.

Eventually, the two women embark on a road trip to a beach town, where they discover a space for their dreams and desires to unfold. The film delves into the humble themes of womanhood and female relationships through everyday slices of life. Kapadia and the characters' female gaze shine through in several scenes.

Kapadia is no stranger to Cannes, having previously made waves at the festival. Her documentary A Night of Knowing Nothing secured the prestigious Golden Eye award for best documentary during the 2021 edition. The Cannes Film Festival previously selected Shaji N. Karun's Swaha in 1994 to compete for the prestigious Palme d'Or. Additionally, in 1983, Mrinal Sen's Bengali film Kharij was featured in the Cannes Competition, earning recognition with the jury prize

Who Is Payal Kapadia? Here Is All We Know About The Mumbai Based Filmmaker

1. Payal Kapadia is a filmmaker and artist based in Mumbai. She went to the Film & Television Institute of India to study film direction.

2. Her website states that her art explores what is buried in "the folds of memory and dreams", and what is not clearly evident. Her technique is made up of "small, fleeting feminine gestures where she seeks to reach the truth".

3. Her first film Afternoon Cloud had its world premiere at Cinefondation (Cannes Film Festival, 2017). Kapadia was the only Indian who participated and competed at Cannes that year.

4. And What is the Summer Saying, her experimental documentary, made its global premiere at the Berlin International Film Festival (Berlinale Shorts, 2018). The film went on to win the Special Jury Prize at the Amsterdam International Documentary Film Festival in 2018.

5. Kapadia's experimental short The Last Mango Before Monsoon was acclaimed with a FIPRESCI Prize along with a Special Jury Prize at the Oberhausen International Film Festival in 2015. The film won several other accolades, including Best Film and Best Editing awards at the Mumbai International Film Festival in 2016, as well as a Special Mention award at Filmadrid.

6. Kapadia is currently making headlines for All We Imagine as Light, which is her first feature film. She developed the film at the PJLF Three Rivers Residency in Rome.

7. In 2019, the proficient filmmaker was chosen for the Cinefondation Cannes Residency as well as the Berlinale Talents Program.

8. Kapadia's Cannes presentation competed against Andrea Arnold's Cow, Marco Bellocchio's Marx Can Wait, Todd Haynes' The Velvet Underground and Rahul Jain’s Invisible Demons.

9. A Night of Knowing Nothing chronicles the narrative of a university girl in India who writes letters to her estranged lover. The official website of the Director's Fortnight's logline states that the viewers will get a sense of the significant changes taking on around the university student through her letters. “An amorphous story emerges, blending reality with fiction, dreams, memories, desires, and concerns," reads the logline

10. Talking about her choices of themes in her films, Kapadia told the Open The Magazine that she is at an age where apart from her profession "things like marriage, love and commitment are also in one’s face". "I use these characters to answer some of those questions," said Kapadia.