FTII alumni Payal Kapadia, Chidanand Naik triumph at Cannes

The Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) on Sunday congratulated its alumni filmmakers Payal Kapadia, Maisam Ali, Chidanand S Naik, and veteran cinematographer Santosh Sivan for their historic achievements at the 77th Cannes Film Festival.

At the festival, which concluded on Saturday, Kapadia won the Grand Prix Award, making her the first Indian to receive this prestigious honor, which is the second highest accolade at Cannes after the Palme d'Or.

Naik's film "Sunflowers Were the First Ones to Know..." secured first place in the La Cinef section, which features film school fiction or animated films. Meanwhile, Ali's "In Retreat" was showcased in ACID Cannes, a section dedicated to independent cinema.

Sivan, renowned for his extensive cinematographic work in Malayalam, Tamil, and Hindi cinema, was awarded the Pierre Angenieux ExcelLens in Cinematography award.

FTII, currently led by actor R Madhavan, shared the congratulatory message on its official X page.

"It is a moment of pride for FTII as its alumni create history at Cannes. As we witness a phenomenal year for Indian Cinema at the 77th Cannes Film Festival, FTII cherishes the glorious achievements of its alumni on this mega international stage of cinema. We congratulate Payal Kapadia for winning the Grand Prix Award, Santosh Sivan for receiving the Pierre Angénieux Tribute Award, Maisam Ali for his debut at ACID, and Chidanand S Naik for winning La Cinef. Their achievements are taking Indian Cinema to greater heights," the Pune-based institute said in the post.

During her time at FTII, Kapadia had led a student protest against the appointment of actor-turned-politician Gajendra Chauhan as its president, best known for his portrayal of Yudhishthira in the TV serial "Mahabharat". Reports indicate that Kapadia faced disciplinary action, including the cancellation of her grant, for not attending classes.

Her film "A Night of Knowing Nothing," which was screened at Cannes in 2021 in the Directors' Fortnight section, follows L, a university student in India who writes letters to her estranged lover. The film merges reality with fiction, dreams, memories, fantasies, and anxieties to unfold an amorphous narrative.

Actor Ali Fazal re-shared FTII's post on X, writing "Uhhh… please don't. Just don't (sic)," referencing the institution's contentious history with its students.

Oscar-winning sound engineer Resul Pookutty, also an FTII graduate, congratulated the winners, particularly Kapadia for the "big win."

"Payal (Accused no 25) comes back from Cannes and next month goes for her court case hearing that FTII lodged against her for striking against the appointment of Mr Chauhan as the Chairman! Interesting, isn't it? (sic)" Pookutty wrote in the footnote of his Instagram post on Sunday.

Kapadia also has several other acclaimed documentaries, including "And What is the Summer Saying" (2018), "Afternoon Clouds" (2017), which premiered at Cannes in the Cinefondation category, and "Last Mango Before the Monsoon" (2015).