Kerala CM Felicitates Cannes Award Winners, Ceremony Scaled Down Due To Kuwait Tragedy

A ceremony to honour the Malayalam artists who won laurels at the Cannes Film Festival was shifted from the Mascot Hotel to the Chief Minister’s chamber. A public recognition ceremony was to be held in the Mascot Hotel. This was avoided in the wake of the fire tragedy in Kuwait’s Mangaf. According to the reports, at least 45 Indians died in the massive fire that broke out in a labour accommodation in Kuwait’s Mangaf on June 12. This includes 23 from Kerala. On June 13, the Kerala government honoured actors Kanu Kusruti, Divya Prabha, Hridhu Haroon and Aziz Nedumangad of All We Imagine As Light cast. All We Imagine As Light won the prestigious Grand Prix award at the recently concluded Cannes Film Festival 2024. Directed by Payal Kapadia, the film received rave reviews and a standing ovation during the screening at Cannes 2024.

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan shared a photo with the All We Imagine As Light cast on Twitter. The CM tweeted,” Honoured the four Malayali actors Kani Kusruti, Divya Prabha, Azees Nedumangad & Hridhu Haroon who played main roles in the Grand Prix-winning film ‘All We Imagine as Light’ at @Festival-Cannes. Also, congratulated others who made Indian cinema proud at Cannes. In the wake of the Kuwait tragedy, the ceremony was held without any festivities. Wishing all the artists greater success in future.”

All We Imagine As Light revolves around the lives of two nurses from Kerala – Prabha (Kani Kusruti) and Anu (Divyaprabha). They are shown colleagues at a Mumbai hospital and roommates. Director Payal Kapadia has garnered many compliments for her direction. In 2015, while a student at FTII, Payal Kapadia led a 139-day protest against the appointment of Gajendra Chauhan, a television actor.

The Kerala government also honoured Santosh Sivan, who received the Pierre Angenieux ExcelLens in Cinematography Award. A critically acclaimed cinematographer, Santosh become the first Asian to be awarded this prestigious award at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival. As per an official communication, the honour has been conferred in recognition of his career and exceptional quality of work. Pierre Angénieux, after whom the award is named, was one of the creators of the modern zoom lenses.