Indians shine at Cannes. Kerala Sparkles!

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Indian movie-maker Payal Kapadia won the Grand Prix award at the Cannes Film Festival for her film "All We Imagine as Light". The Grand Prix is the second-most prestigious prize of the festival, the first being the Palme d'Or, which this year went to American director Sean Baker for “Anora"

"All We Imagine as Light" is the first Indian film in 30 years and first ever by an Indian female director to be showcased in the main competition. Kapadia said that "this film is about friendship, about three very different women. Oftentimes, women are pitted against each other. This is the way our society is designed and it is really unfortunate. But for me, friendship is a very important relationship because it can lead to greater solidarity, inclusivity and empathy".

All We Imagine as Light is a Malayalam-Hindi film which follows Prabha, a Mumbai nurse (played by Malayalam Actor Kani Kusurthi) whose life is thrown in disarray when she receives a rice cooker from her estranged husband. Divya Prabha plays Anu, her roommate and colleague, who is struggling to find a private spot in the city to spend time with her boyfriend. Prabha's best friend Parvati (played by Kadam), a widow, is being forced out of her home by property developers.

Indian actor Anasuya Sengupta, who played a pivotal onscreen role in Bulgarian director Konstantin Bojanov’s movie "The Shameless", won the best actress prize in Cannes. She is the first Indian to win this prize.

Another Indian, FTII student Chidananda S. Naik, won the La Cinef first prize for her film "Sunflowers Were the First Ones to Know...".

Finally, to top it all off, ace cinematographer Santosh Sivan was awarded ‘The Pierre Angénieux Excellens in Cinematography’Santosh Sivan was awarded ‘The Pierre Angénieux Excellens in Cinematography’, an annual tribute given to cinematographers. Sivan is the first Asian to be presented with ths award.

So proud of each of them! In particular, I am proud of Santhosh Sivan and Kani Kusurthi who are from Kerala. Also, reminding my readers (and myself) that my mother tongue is Malayalam!

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