Payal Kapadia’s Cannes winner All We Imagine as Light begins Oscar-qualifying run with Kerala theatrical release | Bollywood

The award-winning film All We Imagine as Light, directed by Payal Kapadia, is set to begin its Oscar-qualifying run with a theatrical release in Kerala. The film, which won the Grand Prix at Cannes earlier this year, tells the story of two nurses from Kerala living in Mumbai and exploring their desires. (Also Read – All We Imagine as Light’s Payal Kapadia says ‘don’t wait 30 years to have another Indian film’ after winning Grand Prix)

Written and directed by Kapadia in her narrative directorial debut, All We Imagine as Light follows Prabha, a troubled nurse who receives an unexpected gift from her estranged husband, and Anu, her young roommate seeking intimacy with her boyfriend. A trip to a beach town allows them to confront their desires. The film stars Kani Kusruti, Divya Prabha, and Hridhu Haroon, all hailing from Kerala.

Spirit Media, founded by Baahubali actor Rana Daggubati, has acquired the Indian distribution rights for the Malayalam and Hindi-language film. The movie will be released in limited cinemas in Kerala starting on September 21, marking its qualifying run for consideration as India’s candidate in the Oscars’ international feature category.

“We are proud to be able to bring this incredible film to audiences in India, starting with Kerala, where the two leading characters of the story are from,” Daggubati told Variety.

“Indian cinema has a rich legacy of storytelling, and this film captures the Indian experience through characters speaking multiple languages coming from different parts of the country with similar shared dreams to a metropolis like Mumbai,” he added.

The film was produced by Thomas Hakim and Julian Graff through Petit Chaos in France, in co-production with several Indian and European companies. Though it made the French Oscar shortlist, the country eventually chose Jacques Audiard’s Emilia Perez for the international feature film race.

Following its Kerala release under the Malayalam title Prabhayay Ninachathellam, the film will be released in major cities across India.