Payal Kapadia’s “All We Imagine As Light” wins big at Gotham Awards 2024

Payal Kapadia’s acclaimed film All We Imagine As Light has secured the Best International Feature trophy at the prestigious Gotham Awards 2024, held at Cipriani Wall Street in New York. The win adds another major accolade to the film’s growing list of honors, sparking debate over India’s decision to send Laapataa Ladies as its official Oscar entry instead. Competing in the category were notable films like Green Border, Hard Truths, Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell, and Vermiglio.

This victory comes just a day after All We Imagine As Light won the Jury Grand Prize at the Asia Pacific Screen Awards (APSA) 2024, where it also earned recognition for Best Youth Film. Earlier this year, the film made history as the first Indian project to win the Grand Prix at the Cannes Film Festival, where it had its world premiere in May.

The Malayalam-Hindi drama follows Prabha, a nurse in Mumbai played by Kani Kusruti, whose life is disrupted after receiving an unexpected package from her estranged husband. The ensemble cast includes Divya Prabha as Anu, Prabha’s roommate navigating a tumultuous love life, and Chhaya Kadam as Parvati, a widow facing eviction. The film is an India-French co-production by petit chaos, Chalk & Cheese, and Another Birth.

The Gotham Awards win has reignited conversations among cinephiles about its Oscars snub. One viewer expressed their frustration online, writing, “Indian Film board who selected Oscars entry looking like absolute fools right now. All We Imagine As Light is absolutely poetic cinema.” Another added, “Hoping it gets a nomination for something even though it is snubbed for Best Foreign Language Film. Like in score or cinematography.”

With its growing acclaim, Kapadia’s film continues to captivate audiences globally, cementing its place as a landmark achievement for Indian cinema.

Here’s the full list of winners at Gotham Awards:

Best Feature

A Different Man: Aaron Schimberg, director; Gabriel Mayers, Vanessa McDonnell, Christine Vachon, producers (A24)

Best International Feature

All We Imagine as Light: Payal Kapadia, director; Julien Graff, Thomas Hakim, producers (Sideshow and Janus Films)

Best Documentary Feature

No Other Land: Yuval Abraham, Basel Adra, Hamdan Ballal, Rachel Szor, directors; Fabien Greenberg, Bård Kjøge Rønning, producers (Antipode Films)

Best Director

RaMell Ross, Nickel Boys (Orion Pictures/Amazon MGM Studios)

Best Screenplay

His Three Daughters, Azazel Jacobs (Netflix)

Breakthrough Director

Vera Drew, The People’s Joker (Altered Innocence)

Outstanding Lead Performance

Colman Domingo, Sing Sing (A24)

Outstanding Supporting Performance

Clarence Maclin, Sing Sing (A24)

Breakthrough Performer

Brandon Wilson, Nickel Boys (Orion Pictures/Amazon MGM Studios)

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