The 77th Cannes Film Festival, which concluded on Saturday, has been one of the best editions for the country. For the first time in 30 years an Indian film, Payal Kapadia’s ‘All We Imagine as Light’ which centers around the lives of two nurses, won the Grand Prix, the second position in the category. With this win, Payal Kapadia, an FTII alumnus, becomes the first Indian to bag this prestigious award. This comes after 30 years when Shaji N Karun’s Swaham competed for the highest honour.
That apart, Film and Television Institute of India’s (FTII) student Chidananda S Naik bagged the first prize in the La Cinef section for “Sunflowers were the first ones to know”— a 15-minute short film based on a Kannada folklore—a production of the FTII’s TV Wing’s one-year program. India-born Mansi Maheshwari’s Bunnyhood, an animated film, bagged the third prize in the La Cinef Selection.
Another independent filmmaker who shone at Cannes was Maisam Ali, his film “In Retreat” was screened at the ACID Cannes sidebar programme—the first time an Indian film was screened in the section run by the Association for the Diffusion of Independent Cinema, since its inception in 1993. Renowned Cinematographer Santosh Sivan, known for his rich body of work in Indian cinema became the first Asian to be awarded the prestigious Pierre Angénieux Tribute award in recognition of his “career and exceptional quality of work”.
Another individual who made history at Cannes is Anasuya Sengupta as she became the first-ever Indian to win the Best Actress award for her performance in ‘The Shameless’ in the ‘Un Certain Regard’ category.
The festival celebrated the work of director Shyam Benegal, this year. After 48 years of its release in India, Benegals’ Manthan was showcased at Cannes in the classic section.
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