All we imagine as light/ special presentation

Winner of the Grand Prix at Cannes 2024, ‘All we imagine as light’ is a luminous debut fiction feature by Payal Kapadia that captures the quiet resilience of women navigating life in contemporary Mumbai. The story follows nurse Prabha, whose routine is unsettled by an unexpected gift from her estranged husband in Germany, and her younger roommate Anu, who struggles to find a private space in the city to be with her boyfriend. Alongside Parvaty, a cook facing eviction, the women form a fragile bond under the weight of urban isolation and social constraint. When a trip to a coastal town offers them a reprieve, their desires begin to find room to breathe. Rendered with lyrical cinematography and forceful emotional precision, Kapadia’s vision transforms stillness into intimacy and the everyday into quiet resistance, confirming her as one of the most essential voices in contemporary cinema.

Film page: All we imagine as light