The Gotham Awards are often a major predictor of Oscar momentum — but Payal Kapadia‘s “All We Imagine as Light” won’t be repeating its win for Best International Feature this March.
The film, which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival and won the Grand Prix on its way to becoming one of the most acclaimed films of 2024, was not selected as India’s official submission to the Academy Awards. Instead, the country went with “Lost Ladies,” Kiran Rao’s comedy about two Indian brides who accidentally switch places on the train ride to their new husbands’ homes.
But while “All We Imagine as Light” will not be competing in the Oscar category, Kapadia isn’t bitter about the snub. Speaking to IndieWire on the red carpet of the 34th annual Gotham Awards, the filmmaker explained that she’s happy to see another Indian woman getting a share of the filmmaking glory.
“I just think it’s really great that there are two films from India that are doing this well, and they’re both by women,” Kapadia said. “So it’s a great year for us.”
Kapadia went on to explain that every filmmaker has to have some level of interest in the awards race, as it is one of the most reliable ways to ensure that your film is seen around the world. But she noted that her film had already received a large international platform thanks to its success at Cannes.
“Of course everybody cares, it just helps that you get more distribution when you get these awards,” she said. “Even winning at Cannes helped me get distribution in 50 countries. That just means more people watching your movie — and what more could you want in life than more people watching your film?”
In addition to the boost that her career received, Kapadia went on to say that attending Cannes with “All We Imagine as Light” became a bonding experience that allowed her the opportunity to celebrate alongside her collaborators.
“It was really wonderful,” she said. “Especially because I was there with my entire crew and all the actresses. We had become a close family, so we were able to celebrate together. And you saw us doing that.”
Watch IndieWire’s complete conversation with Kapadia below.