# All We Imagine as Light

All We Imagine as Light is a 2024 drama film written and directed by Payal Kapadia. The cast includes Kani Kusruti, Divya Prabha, Chhaya Kadam and Hridhu Haroon. Featuring Malayalam, Hindi, and Marathi dialogue, it is an international co-production involving companies from France, India, Netherlands, Luxembourg and Italy.
The film had its world premiere at the main competition of the 77th Cannes Film Festival on 23 May 2024, where it was nominated for the Palme d'Or and won the Grand Prix. It was the first film from India to compete in the main competition since Swaham in 1994.
It received a limited release in Kerala, India, on 21 September 2024, before opening nationwide on 29 November 2024 to positive reviews. It topped the Sight & Sound poll for best film of 2024 and was named one of the top five international films of 2024 by the National Board of Review. At the 82nd Golden Globe Awards, the film received two nominations, for Best Foreign Language Film and Best Director. It was also nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best Film Not in the English Language.

## Plot

Malayalis Prabha and Anu are nurses living together in Mumbai. Prabha is straitlaced and upright, and yearns for her husband who lives in Germany and only came to India once for a short arranged marriage with her, but has not called her in over a year. Anu is more outgoing and is having a secret affair with a Muslim man named Shiaz.
One day, Prabha and Anu receive a modern rice cooker from an unknown sender; although the cooker is made in Germany. A doctor, Manoj, tries to seduce Prabha, but she rejects his advances, claiming her marital status.
Prabha tries to help Parvaty, the cook at their hospital, fight against a greedy construction worker who wants to demolish her chawl to build a skyscraper. Unable to claim legal tenancy, Parvaty decides to quit her job and move back to her village near Ratnagiri. Prabha and Anu travel with her, to help her relocate.
Unbeknownst to Prabha and Parvaty, Shiaz has followed Anu. They secretly meet up, which Prabha discovers. Later they have sex. Meanwhile, Prabha rescues a middle-aged man from drowning by performing CPR. While he is waiting for the local doctor, Prabha cleans and cares for him. She begins having a conversation with him, transforming him into her husband. He apologises for abandoning her and seeks her forgiveness, but she tells him that she does not want to see him ever again.
That night, at a beach shack, Prabha asks a surprised Anu to invite Shiaz to sit with herself and Parvaty. They all chat happily, as the lights of the shack shine over them.

## Cast

* Kani Kusruti as Prabha
* Divya Prabha as Anu
* Chhaya Kadam as Parvathy
* Hridhu Haroon as Shiaz
* Azees Nedumangad as Dr. Manoj
* Anandsami as Drowned Man / Husband
* Kashish Singh as Young Nurse
* Lovleen Mishra as Dr. Supriya
* Madhu Raja as Kaki
* Shweta Prajapati as Young Woman
* Tintumol Joseph as Nurse Shanet
* Ardra K.S. as Nurse 1
* Sisira Anil CK as Nurse 2
* Aparna Ram as Nurse 3
* Nikhil Mathew as Male Nurse
* Bipin Nadkarni as Advocate Desai
* Snehalata Siddarth Tagde as Union Leader
* Saee Abhay Limaye as Teenager at the Shack
* Sanjay Balu Ghanekar as Father
* Shailaja Shrikant as Lady in Doctor's House

## Production

The film was produced by Thomas Hakim and Julian Graff through their French-based company Petit Chaos, in co-production with the Indian companies Chalk & Cheese and Another Birth, as well as by the Netherlands's BALDR Film, Luxembourg's Les Films Fauves, Italy's Pulpa Films and France's Arte France Cinéma. Hakim first met Kapadia at the 68th Berlin International Film Festival in 2018. This was the first feature film produced by Chalk & Cheese, which previously produced commercials for nine years.
Kapadia used money from the Huub Bals grant and Cinéfondation to reside in Europe in order to plan the film production with Hakim. Financing for the film was obtained from Arte, Cineworld, CNC, Condor, Eurimages, Gan Foundation, Hubert Bals Fund, Luxbox, Pulpa Film, and Visions Sud Est.
Filming was done in Mumbai over the course of twenty-five days and then in Ratnagiri for fifteen days.

## Release

All We Imagine as Light was selected to compete for the Palme d'Or at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival, where it had its world premiere on 23 May, and received an eight minute standing ovation at the end of its screening. This is the first film from India to compete in the main competition at Cannes since Swaham in 1994, and Kapadia is the first Indian female filmmaker to do so. It won the Grand Prix, becoming the first Indian film to do so.
On 9 September 2024, it was announced that Spirit Media, founded by Indian actor Rana Daggubati, had acquired Indian distribution rights to the film. Spirit Media announced that the film would begin its Oscar-qualifying release with a limited theatrical release in Kerala starting on 21 September under the Malayalam title 'പ്രഭയായ് നിനച്ചതെല്ലാം' i.e. Prabhayay Ninachathellam.
The film has been selected as the opening film for the MAMI Mumbai Film Festival 2024. The film will be released theatrically in India on 22 November 2024.
Janus Films and distribution partner Sideshow acquired the North American rights for the film on 20 May 2024, and released the film on 15 November 2024 in New York and Los Angeles, with a nationwide expansion planned. The film was also played at the Toronto International Film Festival on 5 September 2024. It was released in France by Condor Distribution on 2 October 2024. It was featured in the accolades section of the 55th IFFI, and Limelight section of the 54th International Film Festival Rotterdam to be screened on 30 January 2025.

## Reception
### Critical response

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 100% of 146 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 8.5/10. The website's consensus reads: "Capturing the here and now of modern India with the spontaneity of a candid photograph, All We Imagine as Light is a lustrous achievement that announces Payal Kapadia as an essential filmmaker." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 94 out of 100, based on 33 critics, indicating "universal acclaim". On AlloCiné, the film received an average rating of 3.8 out of 5, based on 31 reviews from French critics.
Peter Bradshaw, writing in The Guardian, gave the film five stars and praised it as an "absorbing story of three nurses that is full of humanity". Nicholas Barber, writing in the BBC, also gave the film five stars.
The British film magazine Sight & Sound named it the best film of 2024 in its poll of over 100 critics worldwide. It was also ranked 1st in the Best Movies of 2024 list from The New York Times, with Manohla Dargis writing that Kapadia "incorporates images of everyday people milling through the city, images that connect her characters to a sea of humanity and, by extension, to those of us watching."
The film was ranked 5th among the top 25 European works of 2024 by the journalists at Cineuropa.
Filmmakers Ciro Guerra, Don Hertzfeldt, Raven Jackson, Karyn Kusama, Laura Poitras and Walter Salles cited the film among their favorite films of 2024.

### Academy Awards selection controversy

For the 97th Academy Awards, All We Imagine As Light was not selected to be submitted by either France or India, with the former submitting Emilia Pérez, and the latter submitting Laapataa Ladies. The film had been shortlisted for France's submission. The Film Federation of India's (FFI) decision to not submit the film was unexpected, with NPR's Diaa Hadid remarking that the film's international reception had "garnered raised hopes that India might finally have a serious contender for an Oscar in the best foreign film category". Many like Naman Ramachandran of Variety drew comparisons to India's decision to not select The Lunchbox (2013) and RRR (2022) for its Academy Awards submissions, particularly in light of the film's success at the Cannes Film Festival with it having won the Grand Jury Prize.
At the initial news announcing the selection of Laapataa Ladies, FFI president Ravi Kottarakara explained All That We Imagine As Light's exclusion, saying "The jury said that they were watching a European film taking place in India, not an Indian film taking place in India." Justifying its selection, the FFI noted on Laapataa Ladies, "Indian women are a strange mixture of submission and dominance. Well-defined, powerful characters in one world, a Laapataa Ladies (Hindi) captures this diversity perfectly, though in a semi-idyllic world and in a tongue-in-cheek way." Kapadia responded to the controversy by expressing her appreciation for Kiran Rao's works, saying to 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."
On December 17, the Academy of Motion Pictures, Arts and Sciences released its shortlist for a variety of categories, including best International Feature Film, and India's selection (Laapataa Ladies) was not selected, triggering a renewed discussion on the decision to "snub" the film. Industry figures like director Hansal Mehta and Ricky Kej publicly voiced their discontent with the FFI's decision to not send All We Imagine As Light, with the former sarcastically remarking "Film Federation of India does it again! Their strike rate and selection of films year after year is impeccable."
In light of the renewed controversy following the release of the Academy Award shortlist, Jahnu Barua, the head of the 13-member all-male jury remarked to the Hindustan Times that people ought to be "respectful of the process". Elaborating on the decision to not consider All That We Imagine As Light, Barua said "The jury felt that her film was very poor technically."

## Accolades

| Award | Date of ceremony | Category | Recipient(s) | Result | Ref. |
| Cannes Film Festival | 25 May 2024 | Palme d'Or | Payal Kapadia | Nominated | |
| Cannes Film Festival | 25 May 2024 | Grand Prix | Payal Kapadia | Won | |
| Cannes Film Festival | 25 May 2024 | Prix des Cinémas Art et Essai – Special Mention | Payal Kapadia | Won | |
| Sydney Film Festival | 16 June 2024 | Best Film | All We Imagine as Light | Nominated | |
| Munich International Film Festival | 6 July 2024 | Best International Film | All We Imagine as Light | Nominated | |
| Jerusalem Film Festival | 25 July 2024 | International Competition | All We Imagine as Light | Nominated | |
| San Sebastián International Film Festival | 28 September 2024 | RTVE-Another Look Award | All We Imagine as Light | Won | |
| Chicago International Film Festival | 27 October 2024 | Gold Hugo | All We Imagine as Light | Nominated | |
| Chicago International Film Festival | 27 October 2024 | Silver Hugo – Jury Prize | All We Imagine as Light | Won | |
| Montclair Film Festival | 28 October 2024 | Fiction Feature Prize | All We Imagine as Light | Won | |
| Cahiers du Cinéma | 2024 | Annual Top 10 | All We Imagine as Light | 5th Place | |
| Kyiv International Film Festival "Molodist" | 2 November 2024 | Best Full Length Film | All We Imagine as Light | Won | |
| Asia Pacific Screen Awards | 30 November 2024 | Best Film | Thomas Hakim, Julien Graff, Payal Kapadia | Nominated | |
| Asia Pacific Screen Awards | 30 November 2024 | Best Director | Payal Kapadia | Nominated | |
| Asia Pacific Screen Awards | 30 November 2024 | Best Screenplay | Payal Kapadia | Nominated | |
| Asia Pacific Screen Awards | 30 November 2024 | Best Performance | Kani Kusruti | Nominated | |
| Asia Pacific Screen Awards | 30 November 2024 | Best Cinematography | Ranabir Das | Nominated | |
| Asia Pacific Screen Awards | 30 November 2024 | Jury Grand Prize | All We Imagine as Light | Won | |
| Gotham Awards | 2 December 2024 | Best Director | Payal Kapadia | Nominated | [58] [59] |
| Gotham Awards | 2 December 2024 | Best International Feature | Payal Kapadia, Thomas Hakim, Julien Graff | Won | [58] [59] |
| New York Film Critics Circle | 3 December 2024 | Best International Film | All We Imagine as Light | Won | |
| National Board of Review | 4 December 2024 | Top Five International Films | All We Imagine as Light | Won | |
| British Independent Film Awards | 8 December 2024 | Best International Independent Film | Payal Kapadia, Thomas Hakim, Julien Graff | Nominated | |
| Astra Film Awards | 8 December 2024 | Best International Feature | All We Imagine as Light | Nominated | |
| Los Angeles Film Critics Association | 8 December 2024 | Best Foreign Language Film | All We Imagine as Light | Won | |
| San Diego Film Critics Society | 9 December 2024 | Best Foreign Language Film | All We Imagine as Light | Won | |
| Chicago Film Critics Association | 11 December 2024 | Milos Stehlik Award for Breakthrough Filmmaker | Payal Kapadia | Nominated | [66] [67] |
| Chicago Film Critics Association | 11 December 2024 | Best Foreign Language Film | All We Imagine as Light | Won | [66] [67] |
| Film Comment Magazine | 12 December 2024 | Best Film | All We Imagine as Light | Won | |
| Phoenix Critics Circle | 13 December 2024 | Best Foreign Language Film | All We Imagine as Light | Won | |
| St. Louis Film Critics Association | 15 December 2024 | Best International Feature Film | All We Imagine as Light | Nominated | |
| San Francisco Bay Area Film Critics Circle | 15 December 2024 | Best International Feature Film | All We Imagine as Light | Nominated | |
| Toronto Film Critics Association | 15 December 2024 | Best Director | Payal Kapadia | Runner-up | |
| Toronto Film Critics Association | 15 December 2024 | Best Original Screenplay | Payal Kapadia | Won | |
| Toronto Film Critics Association | 15 December 2024 | Best International Feature | All We Imagine as Light | Won | |
| New York Film Critics Online | 16 December 2024 | Best International Feature | All We Imagine as Light | Won | |
| Indiana Film Journalists Association | 16 December 2024 | Best Foreign Language Film | All We Imagine as Light | Nominated | |
| Dallas–Fort Worth Film Critics Association | 18 December 2024 | Best Foreign Language Film | All We Imagine as Light | 3rd place | |
| Dublin Film Critics' Circle | 19 December 2024 | Best Film | All We Imagine as Light | Nominated | |
| Black Film Critics Circle | 19 December 2024 | Best Foreign Film | All We Imagine as Light | Won | |
| Philadelphia Film Critics Circle | 21 December 2024 | Best Foreign Film | All We Imagine as Light | Won | |
| Florida Film Critics Circle | 21 December 2024 | Best International Film | All We Imagine as Light | Won | |
| Florida Film Critics Circle | 21 December 2024 | Best Ensemble | All We Imagine as Light | Nominated | |
| Florida Film Critics Circle | 21 December 2024 | Best Director | Payal Kapadia | Nominated | |
| Online Association of Female Film Critics | 23 December 2024 | Best International Feature | All We Imagine as Light | Won | |
| North Texas Film Critics Association | 30 December 2024 | Best Foreign Language Film | All We Imagine as Light | Nominated | |
| Columbus Film Critics Association | 2 January 2025 | Best Foreign Language Film | All We Imagine as Light | Runner-up | |
| North Carolina Film Critics Association | 3 January 2025 | Best Foreign Language Film | All We Imagine as Light | Won | |
| Kansas City Film Critics Circle | 4 January 2025 | Best Foreign Language Film | All We Imagine as Light | Nominated | |
| DiscussingFilm Critic Awards | 4 January 2025 | Best International Feature Film | All We Imagine as Light | Runner-up | |
| Greater Western New York Film Critics Association | 4 January 2025 | Best Foreign Language Film | All We Imagine as Light | Nominated | |
| National Society of Film Critics | 4 January 2025 | Best Film | All We Imagine as Light | Runner-up | [87] [88] |
| National Society of Film Critics | 4 January 2025 | Best Film Not In English Language | All We Imagine as Light | Won | [87] [88] |
| National Society of Film Critics | 4 January 2025 | Best Director | Payal Kapadia | Won | [87] [88] |
| Golden Globe Awards | 5 January 2025 | Best Foreign Language Film | All We Imagine as Light | Nominated | |
| Golden Globe Awards | 5 January 2025 | Best Director | Payal Kapadia | Nominated | |
| Georgia Film Critics Association | 7 January 2025 | Best International Film | All We Imagine as Light | Runner-up | |
| Alliance of Women Film Journalists | 7 January 2025 | Best International Film | All We Imagine as Light | Nominated | [91] [92] |
| Alliance of Women Film Journalists | 7 January 2025 | Best Director | Payal Kapadia | Nominated | [91] [92] |
| Alliance of Women Film Journalists | 7 January 2025 | Best Original Screenplay | Payal Kapadia | Nominated | [91] [92] |
| Alliance of Women Film Journalists | 7 January 2025 | Best Woman Director | Payal Kapadia | Won | [91] [92] |
| Alliance of Women Film Journalists | 7 January 2025 | Best Woman Screenwriter | Payal Kapadia | Won | [91] [92] |
| Utah Film Critics Association | 11 January 2025 | Best Non-English Feature | All We Imagine as Light | Nominated | |
| Puerto Rico Critics Association | 12 January 2025 | Best Director | Payal Kapadia | Nominated | |
| Puerto Rico Critics Association | 12 January 2025 | Best International Feature | All We Imagine as Light | Nominated | |
| Hawaii Film Critics Society | 13 January 2025 | Best Foreign Language Film | All We Imagine as Light | Nominated | |
| North Dakota Film Society Awards | 13 January 2025 | Best International Feature | All We Imagine as Light | Nominated | |
| Houston Film Critics Society | 14 January 2025 | Best Foreign Language Feature | All We Imagine as Light | Nominated | |
| Portland Critics Association | 14 January 2025 | Best Film Not in the English Language | All We Imagine as Light | Nominated | |
| Women Film Critics Circle | 15 January 2025 | Best Movie About Women | All We Imagine as Light | Nominated | |
| Women Film Critics Circle | 15 January 2025 | Best Foreign Film By Or About Women | All We Imagine as Light | Nominated | |
| Women Film Critics Circle | 15 January 2025 | Best Movie By Women (Directing) | Payal Kapadia | Nominated | |
| Women Film Critics Circle | 15 January 2025 | Best Women Storyteller ( Screenwriting Award) | Payal Kapadia | Runner-up | |
| Chicago Indie Critics | 18 January 2025 | Best International Film | All We Imagine as Light | Nominated | |
| Lumière Awards | 20 January 2025 | Best Film | All We Imagine as Light | Nominated | |
| Denver Film Critics Society | 24 January 2025 | Best Non-English Language Feature | All We Imagine as Light | Won | |
| Girls on Film Awards | 26 January 2025 | Best Feature Film | All We Imagine as Light | Nominated | |
| Girls on Film Awards | 26 January 2025 | Best Female Friendship on Screen | All We Imagine as Light | Won | |
| Girls on Film Awards | 26 January 2025 | Ensemble Cast Award | All We Imagine as Light | Nominated | |
| Online Film Critics Society | 27 January 2025 | Best Film Not in the English Language | All We Imagine as Light | Won | |
| Göteborg Film Festival | 29 January 2025 | International Competition | All We Imagine as Light | Nominated | |
| London Film Critics' Circle | 2 February 2025 | Film of the Year | All We Imagine as Light | Nominated | [106] [107] |
| London Film Critics' Circle | 2 February 2025 | Foreign Language Film of the Year | All We Imagine as Light | Won | [106] [107] |
| Critics' Choice Movie Awards | 7 February 2025 | Best Foreign Language Film | All We Imagine as Light | Nominated | |
| Directors Guild of America Awards | 8 February 2025 | Outstanding Directing – First-Time Feature Film | Payal Kapadia | Nominated | |
| International Cinephile Society | 9 February 2025 | Best Picture | All We Imagine as Light | Won | |
| International Cinephile Society | 9 February 2025 | Best Ensemble | All We Imagine as Light | Won | |
| International Cinephile Society | 9 February 2025 | Best Director | Payal Kapadia | Won | |
| International Cinephile Society | 9 February 2025 | Best Original Screenplay | Payal Kapadia | Runner-up | |
| International Cinephile Society | 9 February 2025 | Best Actress | Kani Kusruti | Nominated | |
| International Cinephile Society | 9 February 2025 | Best Supporting Actress | Chhaya Kadam | Nominated | |
| International Cinephile Society | 9 February 2025 | Best Supporting Actress | Divya Prabha | Nominated | |
| International Cinephile Society | 9 February 2025 | Best Cinematography | Ranabir Das | Nominated | |
| International Cinephile Society | 9 February 2025 | Best Editing | Clément Pinteaux | Nominated | |
| Dorian Awards | 13 February 2025 | Non English Film Of The Year | All We Imagine as Light | Nominated | |
| British Academy Film Awards | 16 February 2025 | Best Film Not in the English Language | All We Imagine as Light | Nominated | |
| Vancouver Film Critics Circle | 19 February 2025 | Best International Film in Non-English Language | All We Imagine as Light | Nominated | |
| Independent Spirit Awards | 22 February 2025 | Best International Film | All We Imagine as Light | Nominated | |
| Online Film & Television Association | 23 February 2025 | Best Foreign Language Film | All We Imagine as Light | Runner-up | |
| VHS Awards | February 2025 | Best Film | All We Imagine as Light | Nominated | [116] [117] |
| VHS Awards | February 2025 | Best Director | Payal Kapadia | 2nd Place | [116] [117] |
| VHS Awards | February 2025 | Best Original Screenplay | Payal Kapadia | Won | [116] [117] |
| VHS Awards | February 2025 | Best Actress | Kani Kusruti | Nominated | [116] [117] |
| VHS Awards | February 2025 | Best Supporting Actress | Divya Prabha | Nominated | [116] [117] |
| Asian Film Awards | 16 March 2025 | Best Film | All We Imagine as Light | Won | |
| Asian Film Awards | 16 March 2025 | Best Director | Payal Kapadia | Nominated | |
| Asian Film Awards | 16 March 2025 | Best Screenplay | Payal Kapadia | Nominated | |
| Asian Film Awards | 16 March 2025 | Best Actress | Kani Kusruti | Nominated | |
| Asian Film Awards | 16 March 2025 | Best Supporting Actress | Divya Prabha | Nominated | |
| Asian Film Awards | 16 March 2025 | Best Editing | Clément Pinteaux | Nominated | |