Sideshow and Janus Films have acquired all North American rights to “All We Imagine as Light,” written and directed by Payal Kapadia.
The movie is the first Indian film to screen in official competition at the Cannes Film Festival in 30 years. It’s also one of only four films in the competition directed by a woman.
Kapadia previously brought her documentary “A Night of Knowing Nothing” to Directors’ Fortnight, where she won the L’Œil d’Or for Best Documentary in 2021.
“All We Imagine as Light” stars Kani Kusruti, Divya Prabha, Chhaya Kadam, Hridhu Haroon and Azees Nedumangad. Sideshow and Janus Films are planning a theatrical release.
“The 2024 Cannes Film Festival will be remembered for confirming Payal Kapadia as one of the most exciting filmmakers working in the world today,” Sideshow and Janus Films said in a statement. “We were deeply moved by her portrait of two women negotiating their careers and love affairs in modern day Mumbai. The skill and craft with which she brings her vision to screen is breathtaking and unforgettable, and we are very excited to work with her and the team at Luxbox to bring this film to North American audiences.”
The deal was negotiated by Sideshow and Janus Films with Luxbox on behalf of the filmmakers. The producers of the film are Thomas Hakim and Julien Graff.
The film is a production of France’s Petit Chaos with coproducers including India’s Chalk & Cheese, France’s Arte France Cinéma, the Netherlands’ Baldr Film, India’s Another Birth, Luxembourg’s Les Films Fauves and Italy’s Pulpa Film.
Variety first reported the news.