South Asian cinema made a big splash at Cannes 2024 highlighted by Payal Kapadia's film All We Imagine As Light , which ended a 30-year dry spell for India by competing for the Palme d’Or and earning an 8-minute standing ovation. The cast celebrated with a dance on the red carpet. But Kapadia didn’t stop there.
Her film also won the prestigious Grand Prix award, the second-highest honour at Cannes. Much like, Kapadia, actor Anasuya Sengupta made India proud by receiving the Best Actress Award at Cannes 2024. What is more? Most of their stories centred around women or were about them in some shape or form bringing a very feminist lens into the fore.
ADVERTISEMENT REMOVE AD Here's a list of Indian women who brought worldwide acclaim with their groundbreaking stories: 0 Payal Kapadia All We Imagine as Light won the second-most prestigious prize at Cannes 2024. (Photo:X) All We Imagine as Light won the second-most prestigious prize at Cannes 2024, following the Palme d’Or awarded to American director Sean Baker for Anora. Kapadia’s film, screened on 23 May, is the first Indian film in 30 years and the first by an Indian female director to compete in the main competition.
The last Indian film in the main competition was Shaji N Karun’s Swaham in 1994. The film paints a poignant portrait of three women who selflessly care for others while their dreams remain unfulfilled. The film weaves in feminist themes from the start, with humour and subtlety conveys feminist narrative.