New Indian film brings women's issues to Cannes
STORY: Women’s issues in India are being brought to international screens at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival in France - the first Indian film to compete in 30 years.
“I am very privileged to be here because it’s not a very big film, and it’s just really nice to get this honor.”
Payal Kapadia is the director of "All We Imagine As Light," a film that tells the story of two women sharing an apartment in India, and the challenges they face in a male-dominated society.
“I don’t specifically think it’s about women in India, it’s a film about friendship and I think that’s a universal thing, whether it’s India or anywhere else. Every woman suffers under the binds of patriarchy, and that sort of comes in the way of female friendships - and this was one of the core themes of my film.”
The two female protagonists explore together the meaning of independence, financial freedom, sexual desire and female friendship in a country where such topics are often taboo.
This film comes as India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi's political party is running a campaign focused on women's welfare, including cash handouts and domestic benefits.
But his government has a mixed record in tackling the rate of crime against women.
