Cannes 2025: Director Payal Kapadia returns to the Festival as Jury member representing India

Her film All We Imagine As Light was the winner of the Grand Prix at Cannes 2024. The movie which made a historic win was lauded by all and won millions of hearts all across the globe after its theatrical release. And the director to make this history was Payal Kapadia, who is all set to return to Cannes 2025 film festival and this time as a Jury.

All you need to know about the Cannes 2025 Jury

This year the Cannes 2025 Jury is headed by the Academy Award, BAFTA and Cesar awards –winner French actor Juliette Binoche. The panel also has names like American actors Halle Berry and Jeremy Strong, Alba Rohrwacher from Italy, Leila Slimani, the French-Moroccan writer, Dieudo Hamadi, Congolese director, Hong Sangsoo, Korean director-writer, and Carlos Reygadas who is a Mexican filmmaker. Payal Kapadia, is the only Indian representation in the Jury.  The same was announced by the Festival social media handles through a post quoted, “Discover the 78th Festival de Cannes feature film Jury !” followed by the names of the jurors.

Previously India was represented by directors Mrinal Sen (1982), Mira Nair (1990) and Shekhar Kapur (2010) ; while actors like Vidya Balan (2013) , Deepika Padukone (2022), Nandita Das (2005 and 2013), Sharmila Tagore (2009) and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan (2003) were also part of the same. India has always had a major representation and influence at the Cannes, whether it is Indian or Indian –origin films making the cut to the Festival or Indian actors walking the ramp as global ambassadors.

Who is Payal Kapadia, the winner of the Grand Prix at Cannes 2024?

Payal Kapadia’s All We Imagine as Light was the first film from India that was a part of the Cannes Competition after a gap of three decades. It is a film on friendship set in Mumbai. A graduate of the Film and Television Institute of India, Kapadia has a long-standing relation with the Cannes film Festival.

Her first representation was in 2017 when she brought her short film Afternoon Clouds to the screens. Her next was in 2021 when her non-fiction, A Night of Knowing Nothing was awarded for the Best Documentary. This year as part of the panel, she would be judging the film that would receive the Palme d’or which went to Sean Baker’s Anora last year. The winner will be announced during the closing ceremony of the Festival on May 24, 2025.