Need indie film fund like the French one that made Cannes win possible: Payal Kapadia

Basking in the afterglow of bagging a historic Cannes Grand Prix, ‘All We Imagine As Light’ director Payal Kapadia speaks to Sunday Times about what made it possible, the various influences that have inspired her, and why filmmaking is like stitching a quilt.

The reason I was able to make this film is because of the French public funding system, and I would like to take a moment to talk about this system.In France, a small tax is levied on every film ticket sale and a tax is levied on TV channels as well. From this, a fund is created that allows independent producers and directors to apply for funding. Distributors and exhibitors also get funding to distribute these films once they are complete. In our country, charging audiences a tax would be rather unfair. However, a tax on the profits made on blockbuster films can surely help in funding an independent film fund. If such a system was made in our country with an autonomous body to run the fund, it would only encourage more independent filmmaking. For a democracy to thrive, voices need to remain independent from big studios that are run by rich industrialists.

The protest at FTII was one of the early student protests that took place. It was followed by many others. I am happy that we could be part of the larger discourse of the relevance of public institutions in India. Being a student of FTII was very important to me. It was a space where we could not only formulate our thoughts about filmmaking, but also about the world we inhabit. Filmmaking does not exist in a vacuum. It is through debates and discussions, questions and self-reflection that we move closer to the films we choose to make. FTII was a place that encouraged independent thought. One reason this was possible was because of affordable public education. Unfortunately, public institutes are becoming more and more expensive nowadays. These spaces can only remain relevant and encourage discourse if they remain accessible to all. If they become elitist spaces like various public universities have over many years, it will be useless to the nation. There are many private institutions that are made only to give opportunities to the elite. A space like FTII is somewhere in between at this point in time. We should strive for it to be even more accessible than the direction in which it is headed.

I am influenced by many different forms of art — poetry, painting, music, animation — all find their way into my work. I think of filmmaking like stitching a quilt with many small fragments that come together to give us a whole new feeling.

I am a huge cinephile and I love watching all kinds of films. However, the cinema that excites me the most is one that mixes forms of fiction and nonfiction, and sometimes even fantasy. I like when all these forms merge into one another. For some reason in India, we have a strong urge to compartmentalise each of these types of films. But I love to mix them all up and see where it takes me.

I have been thinking a lot about friendship in this film. It is a very open relationship that is defined only by you and your friend. In our society, women are made to feel as if they are being pitted against one another. That is very unfortunate. I think friendship can lead to greater inclusivity and solidarity. Perhaps my time at FTII has taught me that.

We don’t have just one film industry in India! We have so many different industries. Especially remarkable to me is the cinema from Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka and Maharashtra. In these states, there is a range of films that are really taking on a lot of important questions. Recently, Kerala govt started a fund that supports female filmmakers as well as filmmakers from under-represented castes. I think this is the need of the hour. I hope more states start doing the same.

I am interested in seeing how I can incorporate more nonfiction into my films. I am planning on doing some short experiments as a learning exercise. Let’s see where it takes me.

I don’t know yet! I am hoping that the next film won’t take five years to fund like the previous one did.

If my life were a movie, it would be a tragic comedy!