As All We Imagine As Light wins at Cannes, indie artistes say 'revive NFDC, social media praise mere tokenism'

Pride and joy - director Payal Kapadia evoked these two emotions among most of us over the weekend as All We Imagine As Light became the first Indian film to win the Grand Prix at the 77th Cannes Film Festival. But her movie's victory stands for so much more. It paints a truthful portrait of the resilience, dissent and passion of the country's independent filmmaking community.

All We Imagine... is the first Indian film to win the Grand Prix

Less than a decade ago, Kapadia, then a student of the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), was at the receiving end of a disciplinary action by the institute for protesting the appointment of the then-chairman Gajendra Chauhan. She was not only denied scholarship, but an FIR was also registered against her and 34 other students for allegedly holding the then-FTII director Prashant Pathrabe captive in his room. The case is ongoing.

Shonali Bose and Chaitanya Tamhane

Hers is among the examples of how India doesn't build an encouraging environment for independent filmmakers. Shonali Bose, who helmed Margarita with a Straw (2014) and The Sky is Pink (2019), underlines that Kapadia's historic win happened despite lack of governmental support, not because of active support.

Payal Kapadia (second from left) with her film's cast at Cannes

Highlighting Minister of Information & Broadcasting Anurag Thakur's congratulatory tweet, Bose says, "Anurag Thakur tweeted that Bharat's creative economy is shining with the Cannes win this year. So, you have to first address that the credit is, in a way, being taken by this government that crushed the NFDC [National Film Development Corporation of India]. It's a fantastic win for India. But why did Payal struggle for five years? Why did she have to go to Europe? Her entire funding is from Europe! So, how is Bharat's economy shining with this? If you want more wins like this so that Bharat shines, please resurrect NFDC. It is a toothless thing right now. There is no funding!"

Gaurav Madan

Independent director-writer Gaurav Madan, whose latest Barah by Barah is playing in cinemas, echoes Bose's sentiment. He urges that for fresh and unique voices to come to the forefront, collective action is needed - one that goes beyond social media applause. "We need to move beyond social media pats and do things that have a lasting effect on the Indian indie film scene. The major studios, producers need to back more indie filmmakers. More funds need to be announced, more screenwriting and producing labs need to happen. Bodies like NFDC that have become a shadow from their past, need to be empowered again to fuel life back into Indian parallel cinema," he shares

Chaitanya Tamhane, one of the finest voices in Indian filmmaking today, has witnessed first-hand how indie filmmakers are always kept on the fringes. One would think that his National Award win for Court (2015) and the FIPRESCI International Critics Award at the Venice Film Festival for The Disciple (2021) would make him a favourite among studios, but he says that most of the funding for his projects still comes from foreign producers.

He shares, "I get a lot of calls from people from the industry and there's a lot of respect, but they are operating in a completely different ecosystem. A lot of arthouse films around the world are made with institutional support, because commerce is not the main agenda. There is more to stories than just making money. [There are some] people who want to be associated with these films and bask in second-hand glory, but when it comes to investing in these projects, they want to bring in their own sensibility. I have often got offers, but it's like, ‘Now, you are legitimised, come serve our machinery. Direct the stories we would want to make.' Nobody has come up to me and said, ‘What are you doing next? We will support that unconditionally.' It's easier to put a social media post than money in making films."

Writer-filmmaker-editor Sumit Purohit, known for works like Scam 1992, Vakeel Babu and the latest Rajkummar Rao-starrer Srikanth, says Kapadia's win should be a moment of reflection for the entire Indian film industry, especially the top filmmakers and stars, about how they can lend support to smaller, independent stories.

"There's no harm in celebrating Payal's achievements across the film community. But it's also a good time to question and wonder how bigger filmmakers and stars can support completely independent ideas. Such films need a space to nurture, and that's what we need to create. It's easier to champion something when it's successful, but we can't wait for decades for such voices to be seen and heard."

Filmmaker-distributor Shiladitya Bora points out that in Hollywood, many A-list stars use their clout to back smaller films, a phenomenon that is unfortunately absent on home turf. "Brad Pitt's Plan B Entertainment or Jordan Peele's Monkeypaw Productions are fantastic models. Here in India, a lot of our biggest stars got their break through independent films. But sometimes, once they hit the mainstream, that connection seems to fade. Imagine the impact if these established actors, with the power to greenlight projects, took a leap of faith. Found a story they believed in, not just for the awards, but for the sheer love of storytelling. Think of the voices we could amplify, the narratives that could redefine Indian cinema."

To Arpita Chatterjee, co-writer of Three of Us (2023), Kapadia's win is a needle-shifting moment for women's stories. "It is a perfect storm because it is a huge movement for women, dissent and to show what protest means. It is a huge win for India to shed the light on institutional failure when it's taken over by a regime. People look at everything from the lens of money and box office but storytelling cannot be seen from that lens. You have to allow people to tell the stories which appeal to them. I have heard this all my life that women telling women stories don't work at the box office, that the lead actor needs to be the guy. How can you keep on giving this as a reason? Women storytellers find it very difficult to tell stories about women, This is a very big movement for them. You can show Payal and her film as examples now. In India, people need references," she says.

For Tamhane, the audience is as much a stakeholder in the cultural shift for Indian cinema. He points out, "If the audience registers their interest and support to a film, the money will follow. Payal's film has broken out at Cannes, which couldn't have happened at a better time than now when very few films cut through and even many of those that do in the mainstream sphere aren't necessarily good. Maybe it will break out among the audience as well and do commercially well. The onus lies with the audience. Of course distribution matters too, but if you see in France, even distribution is incentivised. While in a city like Mumbai, there's not a single arthouse theatre! So, this needs commitment and conviction and risk-taking ability from individuals, who are okay if a film doesn't do very well. You have to keep at it," he says.

Bora makes a pertinent point about cultivating an audience for niche storytelling in India. The filmmaker says that there's an urgent need for a platform that ensures independent films reach the Indian audience. "The initial excitement of Netflix entering India, with its promise to champion diverse voices, felt like a breath of fresh air. But the reality is, they often prioritise commercially viable content now. So, where do independent films go? Theatres are increasingly dominated by big-budget productions, and OTT platforms seem to be following suit. There's a growing sense of being squeezed out, with limited avenues to recoup our investments. The solution lies, I believe, in building a larger community for independent films. Look at international markets - they have a dedicated audience for these stories. Here in India, we need to cultivate that audience, to nurture a culture of appreciating diverse narratives. It's not just about empty gestures; it's about actively supporting independent cinema. Buying tickets, attending screenings, spreading the word - these actions make a real difference."

But when private entities do not show interest in supporting such films and talent, Bose says, it's only the government that an artiste can look up to for support.

"India is bursting with so many creative voices but there's no funding. OTT will not give, Indian film industry producers will not give. So, only the government exists to support the arts. This is not true to India alone. Independent filmmakers in America are also facing that because the right wing always cuts down the funding to the arts. I have faced that living 30 years in LA. That's what has happened here. So, will this change for India? I can only hope but I can't be an ignorant Indian and look at our very recent history. So, are they going to wake up and say, ‘Yes we did wrong by cutting NFDC and now that we are winning at Cannes, we should strengthen it and fund it and give more opportunities to women like Payal?' Do I have faith it will happen? No. Should it happen? Yes."

Tamhane says only a government that's interested in making movies an export to the world will back its filmmakers. "Film is also a bastard art form in India because there's so much film happening here that you tend to think it doesn't need any more support or any institutional support. At the same time, there are only certain kinds of films that are made and that reach out to the audience. (As a result) the independent voices from different regions and cultures are suffering and are in dire need of support. So, yes it's always nice if institutional support is provided to filmmakers without any censorship concerns or strings attached and without any bias or bureaucracy or red tapeism attached to it, where deserving ones on the basis of merit get financial grants. Where the institutions also have the the ambition to represent India on a global stage and take pride in seeing our films being export to the world."