Payal Kapadia is an Indian director and screenwriter born in Mumbai in 1986. A graduate of the prestigious Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), she has gained international attention for works that blend fiction and documentary. Her career has seen a rapid rise, beginning with the short film *Afternoon Clouds* (2017), which was selected for the Cannes Film Festival. Her first feature film, *A Night of Knowing Nothing* (2021), a hybrid documentary exploring student life and political protests in India, won the L'Œil d'or award for best documentary at Cannes. Her definitive breakthrough came in 2024 with her first fiction film, *All We Imagine as Light*. Presented in the main competition at the 77th Cannes Film Festival—the first Indian film to compete for the Palme d'Or in thirty years—it earned her the historic Grand Prix, the festival's second-most important award, solidifying her position as one of the most significant voices in contemporary cinema.