Asia Pacific Screen Awards 2024: Payal Kapadia's All We Imagine As Light, Lakshmipriya Devi's Boong win big

Boong follows the story of a young boy named Boong, from the valley of Manipur, who plans to surprise his mother with a gift.

Payal Kapadia's All We Imagine As Light and Boong, directed by debutante Lakshmipriya Devi, won top honours at the Asia Pacific Screen Awards (APSA) 2024. The 17th edition of the awards was presented on Saturday at a ceremony in Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia, following the four-day Asia Pacific Screen Forum. (Also Read | All We Imagine As Light review: Payal Kapadia's profound ode to Mumbai is the finest film of the year)

According to the official Instagram page of APSA, All We Imagine As Light received the Jury Grand Prize, and Boong was named the Best Youth Film. Payal's All We Imagine, which had its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival in May, is the first film from India ever to win the Grand Prix award at the prestigious European gala.

The Malayalam-Hindi movie follows Prabha (Kani Kusruti), a Mumbai nurse whose life is thrown into disarray when she receives a rice cooker from her estranged husband.

Divya Prabha plays Anu, her roommate and colleague, who is struggling to find a private spot in the city to spend time with her boyfriend. Prabha’s best friend, Parvati (Chhaya Kadam), a widow, is being forced out of her home by property developers.

All We Imagine As Light is an official India-French co-production between petit chaos from France and Chalk & Cheese and Another Birth from India.

Whereas Boong follows the story of a young boy named Boong, from the valley of Manipur, who plans to surprise his mother with a gift. In his innocence, he believes that bringing his father back home would be the most special gift. His search for his father leads to an unexpected gift – a new beginning.

The Manipuri film had its world premiere in the discovery section at the 49th edition of the Toronto International Film Festival in September. It is backed by Excel Entertainment, Chalkboard Entertainment and Suitable Pictures.