Cannes

First Indian Film to Screen In Competition at the Cannes Film Festival in 30 Years

(Cannes, France - May 20, 2024) - Sideshow and Janus Films announced today that they have acquired all North American rights to ALL WE IMAGINE AS LIGHT, written and directed by Payal Kapadia. The film 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. This poignant and beautifully directed film stars Kani Kusruti, Divya Prabha, Chhaya Kadam, Hridhu Haroon and Azees Nedumangad. Sideshow and Janus Films are planning a theatrical release.

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. It is a production of France’s Petit Chaos with co-producers 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. 

Sideshow and Janus Films commented, “The 2024 Cannes Film Festival will be remembered for confirming Payal Kapadia as one of the most exciting filmmakers working in the world today. 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.”

In Mumbai, Nurse Prabha's routine is troubled when she receives an unexpected gift from her estranged husband. Her younger roommate, Anu, tries in vain to find a spot in the city to be intimate with her boyfriend. A trip to a beach town allows them to find a space for their desires to manifest.

In its short three-year existence, Sideshow—along with its legendary partner Janus Films—have acquired some of the most celebrated international films at the Cannes Film Festival, which have resulted in six Oscar nominations and one win, including Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s DRIVE MY CAR, Jerzy Skolimowski’s EO and Shaunak Sen’s ALL THAT BREATHES, released with Submarine Deluxe and HBO Documentary Films. The company currently has Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s Venice’s Silver Lion Grand Jury Prize Winner, EVIL DOES NOT EXIST, in release along with Bertrand Bonello’s THE BEAST.

ABOUT JANUS FILMS
Founded in 1956, Janus Films was the first theatrical distribution company dedicated to bringing international art-house films to U.S. audiences. Janus handles rights in all media to an extensive library that ranges from classics by Michelangelo Antonioni, Věra Chytilová, Ingmar Bergman, Federico Fellini, Akira Kurosawa, Ousmane Sembène, and Agnès Varda to major works by contemporary masters like Jim Jarmusch, Lucrecia Martel, and Wong Kar Wai. Its recent releases have included a record-breaking retrospective of the films of Edward Yang, as well as contemporary titles including Hlynur Pálmason’s GODLAND and RYUICHI SAKAMOTO: OPUS. Janus Films partnered with Sideshow in 2021 on the release of Academy Award® winner DRIVE MY CAR, and Academy Award® nominee EO from director Jerzy Skolimowski. Currently with Sideshow, they have Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s EVIL DOES NOT EXIST and Bertrand Bonello’s THE BEAST in release. Upcoming releases include Catherine Breillat's LAST SUMMER.

ABOUT SIDESHOW
Sideshow is a theatrical distribution label founded to release visionary films. In three years, the company has received six Academy Award® nominations. Their first release was DRIVE MY CAR, in partnership with Janus Films, which was nominated for four Academy Awards®, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best International Feature Film, which it won. With their partner Janus Films, the label has released Jerzy Skolimowski’s EO, which was nominated for the Academy Award® for Best International Feature. They also released Shaunak Sen’s Oscar®-nominated documentary ALL THAT BREATHES, with Submarine Deluxe and HBO Documentary Films. Recent releases include Wim Wenders’ ANSELM, one of the year’s highest grossing documentaries, Christian Petzold’s AFIRE, Lila Aviles’ TÓTEM and Nuri Bilge Ceylan’s ABOUT DRY GRASSES. The company currently has in release: Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s EVIL DOES NOT EXIST, which won the Silver Lion Grand Jury Prize at Venice, and Bertrand Bonello’s THE BEAST, starring Léa Seydoux and George MacKay. Their next release is Catherine Breillat’s LAST SUMMER.