At the 82nd Golden Globe Awards, Payal Kapadia’s film All We Imagine As Light earned a historic nomination for Best Non-English Language Motion Picture. Although it didn’t win, the film made a remarkable mark by becoming the first Indian film to be nominated in this category. The award went to Emilia Perez, a film that claimed the top honor, leaving All We Imagine As Light as a runner-up.
Despite not taking home the Golden Globe, All We Imagine As Light is still riding high with other prestigious accolades. The film has recently made it to the longlist for three categories at the 2024 BAFTA Awards, which include Best Director, Original Screenplay, and Best Film Not in the English Language. This recognition places the film among a select group of international works gaining significant attention.
In addition to the BAFTA longlists, All We Imagine As Light earned a nomination for Best Foreign Language Film at the 2025 Critics Choice Awards, adding to its growing list of accomplishments. The film, starring Kani Kasruti, Divya Prabha, Chhaya Kadam, and Hridhu Haroon, competes in a highly competitive category alongside other notable films like Emilia Perez, Flow, I’m Still Here, Kneecap, and The Seed of the Sacred Fig.
Successes of ALL WE IMAGINE AS LIGHT
- Cannes Film Festival: This film won the Grand Prix at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival, becoming the first Indian film to do so. It was also the first Indian film to compete in the main competition at Cannes since 1994.
- Golden Globe nominations: The film was nominated for Best Foreign Language Film and Best Director for Payal Kapadia, making her the first Indian woman director to receive such nominations.
- Critics Choice Awards nominations: The film was nominated for Best Foreign Language Film at the 2025 Critics Choice Awards.
- Other awards: The film won the Asia Pacific Screen Awards Jury Grand Prize, the Gotham Award for Best International Feature, and was named Best International Film by the New York Film Critics Circle.
- BFI’s Sight and Sound poll: The film topped the BFI’s Sight and Sound poll for the best film of 2024.
- Barack Obama’s 2024 movie recommendations: Barack Obama included the film in his 2024 movie recommendations.
- Acclaimed bows at film festivals: The film received acclaimed bows at NYFF, London, Tokyo, Chicago, Denver, San Sebastian, Mill Valley, and Sydney.
Though it didn’t take home the Golden Globe this time, All We Imagine As Light is making waves and earning recognition on the global stage, solidifying its place as a groundbreaking film in Indian cinema. Payal Kapadia’s work continues to be celebrated internationally, and there’s certainly much more to come for this talented filmmaker and her exceptional film.
