Payal Kapadia: The Indian voice at Cannes jury and the journey that led her there
Once a student protestor with a camera, now a Grand Prix-winning filmmaker and Cannes jury member—Payal Kapadia’s journey reflects a new chapter for Indian independent cinema and women in film.
In 2025, Payal Kapadia, director of the acclaimed film All We Imagine As Light, was named to the main competition jury at the 78th Cannes Film Festival. She follows in the footsteps of filmmakers including Nandita Das, Shekhar Kapur, and Mira Nair who brought their experience and perspective to the Cannes juries in the past to honour and evaluate some of the best cinema from around the world.
The nine-member jury in the main competition at Cannes this year, chaired by French actress Juliette Binoche, also includes notable figures such as Halle Berry, Jeremy Strong, and Hong Sang-soo.
This selection marks another chat in Kapadia’s relationship with Cannes, which has been consequential to her rise over the last decade.
A Cannes winner returns
Kapadia made history in 2024 when her debut fiction feature All We Imagine As Light won the Grand Prix at the 77th Cannes Film Festival—the second-highest award at the event. The quiet, emotionally rich film follows two Malayali nurses navigating life in Mumbai, using delicate storytelling and poetic visuals to explore themes of solitude, longing, and female friendship.
The film premiered to standing ovations and critical acclaim. Beyond Cannes, it also won the New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best International Film and received recognition at the Hong Kong International Film Festival, where it took home the Firebird Award. It was also chosen as the closing film at the International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR) in 2025, cementing its global appeal.
India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi celebrated her achievement in a post on X:
“India is proud of Payal Kapadia for her historic feat of winning the Grand Prix at the 77th Cannes Film Festival for her work ‘All We Imagine as Light’. An alumnus of FTII, her remarkable talent continues to shine on the global stage, giving a glimpse of the rich creativity in India. This prestigious accolade not only honours her exceptional skills but also inspires a new generation of Indian filmmakers.”
From FTII student to Cannes laureate
Payal Kapadia’s journey began at the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), Pune,, where she enrolled to study film direction. Her time at the institute wasn’t just academic—it was politically charged. She emerged as one of the leading voices in the 2015 student protests against the appointment of Gajendra Chauhan as chairman, an experience that would shape the political consciousness seen in her later work.
While at FTII, Kapadia began making short films that quietly broke conventions. Her earlier work includes Watermelon, Fish and Half Ghost (2014) and The Last Mango Before the Monsoon (2015), the latter received a special mention at the Oberhausen International Short Film Festival in Germany and received the Best Film award at Mumbai International Film Festival.
Her 2017 short, Afternoon Clouds, became the only Indian film selected that year at Cannes, and screened in the Cinéfondation section. These early works revealed Kapadia’s signature style—slow, lyrical narratives that dwell on memory, longing, and the small details of everyday life.
A personal and political statement
In 2021, Kapadia’s first major international recognition came with A Night of Knowing Nothing, a hybrid documentary based on fictional letters written by a student. Mixing real footage of campus protests and voiceover, it blurred the lines between fact and fiction to comment on repression, love, and dissent. The film premiered at Cannes and won the prestigious L’Œil d’Or (Golden Eye) for Best Documentary, further solidifying her reputation as a filmmaker of rare vision.
Shaping the future of global cinema
Life has come full circle for Kapadia at Cannes 2025 and her work is now helping define the next wave of cinematic excellence from India.
On being part of the jury at the film festival, she told PTI, "I'm really grateful. The one thing (you want) as a filmmaker is that your film should be watched by the people in your own country and everywhere else. So that was a really big bonus for me."
Kapadia’s rise is more than a personal milestone—it’s a signal that emerging voices like hers will shape the future of Indian cinema. In a film industry often dominated by commercial formulas and male-led narratives, she has carved a space for stories that are personal, political, and deeply feminine.
Edited by Kanishk Singh