Payal Kapadia Joins Cannes Jury
Payal Kapadia, the acclaimed director of All We Imagine as Light, returns to Cannes — not with a film, but as a 2025 jury member. From indie darling to global torchbearer, here’s how Kapadia continues to shine on the international stage.
Well, hold onto your berets and brush up your French, because Payal Kapadia — the filmmaker who made Cannes sit up straighter than a waiter in a Michelin-starred bistro — is back in the thick of it. And no, she’s not returning with another cinematic gem (though we wouldn’t mind), but as a jury member for the Festival de Cannes 2025. That’s right, the Grand Prix winner of last year’s extravaganza has now been knighted — figuratively speaking — to help decide who gets the croissants and who goes home hungry.
Kapadia’s film All We Imagine as Light wasn’t just a flash in the pan. It was the full Sunday roast — warm, layered and emotionally satisfying. The film shone like a lighthouse in a foggy harbour, guiding Indian cinema back into Cannes’ prestigious competition section after a 30-year hiatus. That’s longer than most reality TV marriages.
Set in the chaos and contradictions of Mumbai, All We Imagine as Light follows the lives of two nurses — Prabha and Anu — as they juggle work, relationships, and that eternal urban woe: finding a bit of privacy. A surprise gift from an estranged husband, and the quest for a quiet moment with a boyfriend, lead the duo to a coastal town where the pace slows, and dreams breathe. Think Florence Nightingale meets Thelma & Louise, with less car chases and more emotional depth.
Despite its dazzling performance at international festivals — raking in awards from New York to Toronto, and all the way to the Asia Pacific Film Awards (one imagines her luggage fees were astronomical) — the film was snubbed by the Oscars. After India declined to nominate it as the official entry (don’t get us started), the team launched an independent campaign that had more hustle than a Mumbai local train at rush hour. Sadly, the Academy wasn’t swayed — perhaps they were too busy watching men in capes and explosions.
But Kapadia, true to her quietly fierce style, carried on regardless. Her storytelling, laced with gentle rebellion and quiet strength, has continued to charm cinephiles globally. The Golden Globes came knocking too, nominating her for Best Director and Best Film Not in English Language. A round of applause, please — or at least a polite nod over your cappuccino.
A graduate of the Film and Television Institute of India, Kapadia has long been a torchbearer of Indian indie cinema. Her earlier works, including Afternoon Clouds (which floated its way into La Cinéfondation in 2017) and the stirring documentary A Night of Knowing Nothing, already had critics scribbling notes faster than you can say “auteur”.
Her Cannes jury appointment is more than a feather in her cap — it’s the whole peacock. In a space often dominated by the same old faces and safe choices, her inclusion feels refreshingly radical. It’s like inviting a quiet poet to judge a rap battle — unexpected, but bound to shift the rhythm.
All We Imagine as Light is now streaming on Disney+ Hotstar, so if you’ve been putting it off in favour of that third rewatch of a dating show where everyone’s allergic to shirts — do yourself a favour. Make a cuppa, dim the lights, and let this lyrical ode to friendship, longing and city life wash over you like a Bandra breeze.
In the meantime, here’s hoping Payal Kapadia sprinkles a bit of her cinematic magic over this year’s Cannes selections. And if anyone can spot a diamond in the rough, it’s the woman who taught us that even amidst Mumbai’s madness, a little light can go a long way.
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