Payal Kapadia’s “All We Imagine as Light,” the first Indian film to screen in official competition at the Cannes Film Festival in thirty years, has found a home in North America thanks to the acquisition of all North American rights by Sideshow and Janus films (“Drive My Car”). The film will have its global debut on Thursday, May 23.
It’s also one of just four female-directed movies in the competition. In the past, Kapadia directed the documentary “A Night of Knowing Nothing,” which had its world premiere during Directors’ Fortnight and went on to win the 2021 L’Œil d’Or for Best Documentary.
Starring in “All We Imagine as Light” are Azees Nedumangad, Chhaya Kadam, Hridhu Haroon, Divya Prabha, and Kani Kusruti. Janus Films and Sideshow are preparing a theatrical release.
With its first Cannes acquisition, Ryūsuke Hamaguchi’s “Drive My Car,” which went on to become the most Oscar-nominated Japanese film of all time, earning four nominations and winning best international feature, Sideshow and its partner Janus Films have had an impressive run over the last three years. Polish filmmaker Jerzy Skolimowski’s “EO,” which won the Cannes Jury Prise, and Shaunak Sen’s documentary “All That Breathes,” which received an Oscar nomination, were also acquired by Sideshow and Janus films.
On behalf of the filmmakers, Sideshow and Janus Films negotiated the arrangement with Luxbox. Julien Graff and Thomas Hakim are the film’s producers. France’s Petit Chaos is being produced, and co-producers include Chalk & Cheese in India, Arte France Cinéma in France, Baldr Film in the Netherlands, Another Birth in India, Les Films Fauves in Luxembourg, and Pulpa Film in Italy.
Sideshow and Janus Films stated that “the 2024 Cannes Film Festival will be remembered for confirming Payal Kapadia as one of the most exciting filmmakers working in the world today.” Her portrayal of two women juggling their love lives and occupations in contemporary Bombay left us speechless.
“We are very excited to work with her and the team at Luxbox to bring this film to North American audiences,” the banners said, highlighting the “skill and craft with which she brings her vision to screen is breathtaking and unforgettable.”
The story of Nurse Prabha, whose “routine is troubled when she receives an unexpected gift from her estranged husband,” is told in this Mumbai-set movie. Anu, her younger roommate, searches the city in vain for a place where she can have an intimate moment with her boyfriend. The synopsis says, “They find a space for their desires to blossom when they go to a beach town.
The Beast by Bertrand Bonello and “Evil Does Not Exist,” the Venice Silver Lion Grand Jury Prise winner for Hamaguchi, are currently available for viewing through the company.
