Payal Kapadia released a statement on Friday about her film All We Imagine As Light winning the Grand Prix at the Cannes Film Festival this year. In the long note, she spoke about the importance of having public-funded institutions in the country and wished for more support to independent filmmakers.

She reflected on the long time it took to make the film and said, “We were in the middle of completing the post production when we found out that it was selected for competition at Cannes. This was beyond what we had expected. It made us both excited and nervous. So many great filmmakers whose work I admired would be there with us, watching our film.”

She added that she was anxious before the film’s screening. She said, “I felt encouraged when the amazing actors from the film arrived to be with us. Just one year ago, before the start of the Monsoon, we had started preparation on the film and now exactly one year later we were all together again but in a completely different context and a completely different world.”

Further, she credited her alma mater, Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), for opening up her worldwide to many things. She pressed that the state should support independent filmmakers and lauded the Kerala government’s move to fund female directors.

She ended the statement by saying, “As the election results are around the corner, I can only say that whoever comes into power must work towards a more equal society where every individual has the right to our country's resources and that they are not limited to the hands of a few. The resources are also non material, like cultural capital, like education and access to the arts. As citizens of the country it is our responsibility to hold every government accountable for this.”

All We Imagine As Light stars Kani Kusruti, Divya Prabha, and Chhaya Kadam in the lead roles. The film explores the aspirations of three women in Mumbai as they navigate their work, lives, and relationships.