Indian filmmaker Payal Kapadia's feature directorial debut All We Imagine As Light did the country proud at the Cannes Film Festival earlier this year, where it won the coveted Grand Prix award . It's now seen the light of the day in Indian theatres, but the release is quite limited and restricted only to Kerala. (Also Read – Payal Kapadia reacts as All We Imagine As Light eyes Oscars: 'I'm not a person who will always think of end result' ) Why a limited India release All We Imagine As Light has just about managed to match the eligibility criteria of the Film Federation of India for getting shortlisted as India's official entry to the 97th Academy Awards next year in the Best International Film category.
As per the eligibility criteria listed on the film body's official website, “Films which are unreleased as of 10th September (last date of entry) who wish to apply for the Oscar Entry will have to submit an undertaking and confirmation from the production & distribution company that the said films will be released for minimum of 7 days in theatres before the deadline of 30th September 2024.” Production house Spirit Media, founded by Telugu actor Rana Daggubati, has acquired the exclusive rights to distribute the Malayalam-Hindi film in India. “We are proud to be able to bring this incredible film to audiences in India, starting with Kerala where the two leading characters of the story are from," Rana said in a statement.
All We Imagine is an official Indo-French co-p.