Kerala govt honours Cannes Film Festival winners Kani Kusruti, Santosh Sivan, others

The Kerala Government has honoured the Malayali film professionals who shone at the Cannes Film Festival. The cast of the film All We Imagine as Light, which won the Grand Prix award, including Kani Kusruti, Divya Prabha, Hridhu Haroon, and Aziz Nedumangad, were recognised for their achievements. (Also Read – Cannes 2024: Times when India shone bright at the film festival this year)

Additionally, Santosh Sivan, who received the Pierre Angenieux ExcelLens in Cinematography Award, was also honoured.

Filmmaker Payal Kapadia made history on May 25, bagging the Grand Prix Award for the film All We Imagine As Light. It premiered at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival in its much-feted 'competition section' on May 23. It was the first Indian film to feature in the festival's main segment in 30 years.

The update had left every Indian elated. Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated filmmaker Payal Kapadia after her film won the prestigious Grand Prix at the Cannes Film Festival.

Taking to his official handle X, he praised her for the historical win at the prestigious film festival. PM Modi wrote, “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.”

Actor-director Farhan Akhtar took to Instagram and wrote, "Heartiest congratulations #PayalKapadia and team #allweimagineaslight .. first Indian film to win the Cannes Grand Prix." Kiara Advani also extended heartfelt greetings to the team of All We Imagine As Light. "Congratulationsss," she wrote.

All We Imagine As Light follows the lives of two nurses from Kerala – Prabha (Kani Kusruti) and Anu (Divyaprabha) – colleagues at a Mumbai hospital and roommates. When Prabha receives an unexpected gift from her estranged husband, her regular life is disrupted. In the space-crunched city, her younger roommate Anu struggles to find a spot to be intimate with her boyfriend. When they take a trip to a coastal town, their lives undergo a change.