All We Imagine as Light
Payal Kapadia
Drama, Romance
2024
115 minutes
18+
France, India, Netherlands, Luxembourg, Italy
Malayalam, Hindi, Marathi
English, Arabic
"All We Imagine as Light" is one of those sensory-based stories, full of conversations about desire, emotion, eternal disappointment, love, liberation, and women who come to know themselves, stand up, and confront their fears. It is an image of solitude, longing, and feminine suffering, brimming with empathy. The film's three protagonists are united by their limitations and desires. While director Payal Kapadia builds their characters through gestures, she also carefully addresses social issues like arranged marriage, racial tensions, Islamophobia, patriarchy, and urban sprawl in Mumbai --- a city that transcends the story's context, as a multicultural place attracting Indians from across the country.
Payal Kapadia is a Mumbai-based filmmaker and artist who studied Film Direction at the Film & Television Institute of India. Her work explores hidden memories and subtle feminine gestures to reveal deeper truths. Her short film Afternoon Clouds was India's sole official selection at Cannes Cinéfondation 2017. Her experimental film And What Was the Summer Saying premiered at Berlin IFF (2018) and won awards at IDFA and Mumbai Film Festival. The Last Mango Before Monsoon earned FIPRESCI and Special Jury Prizes at Oberhausen (2015).