Payal Kapadia states, “Whoever comes to power must work towards a more equal society”

Payal Kapadia and her team of the film All We Imagine As Light recently made India proud at the Cannes Film Festival by bagging The Grand Prix award. The young filmmaker, in an official statement, said that the last few days were like a dream for her. She also credited her alma mater Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) for her success.

But in the same statement, Kapadia also opined that public institutes are becoming “more and more expensive” these days. She said, “These spaces can only remain relevant and can encourage discourse if it remains accessible to all. If it becomes an elitist space like various public universities have become over many years, it will be useless to the nation. There are many private institutions that are made only to maintain the status quo and 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. This does not only apply to higher education but more importantly to public primary education where there is a significant need for raising the quality of education.”

Kapadia stressed on the need to support independent filmmakers. She said that she was able to make an independent film like All We Imagine As Light only because of the French public funding system. Elaborating on the same, she added, “In France, a small tax is levied on each and every ticket sale of a film as well as a tax levied on TV channels. From this the CNC 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.”

However, Kapadia added that such a tax would be unfair on the audiences in India. Hence, she shared another idea. “A tax on the profits made on blockbuster films can surely help in funding an independent film fund,” she said. “If such a system was made in our country with an autonomous body to run the fund, it would only encourage more and more independent filmmaking. For a democracy to thrive, voices need to remain independent from big studios that are run by rich industrialists.”

Kapadia pointed out that recently the Kerala state government started such a fund to support female filmmakers and filmmakers from under-represented castes. “I think this is the need of the hour. I know that a lot of well-meaning individuals in the film industry have started their own production houses. But they only support filmmakers they know,” she added and said that she is thankful to the people from the Kerala film industry for willing to meet her and give her time despite them being stars. She is also glad that the distributors and exhibitors in Kerala are more open to art house film.

Lastly, Kapadia touched upon the results of the Lok Sabha elections and gave a message to whoever emerges victorious. “I can only say that whoever comes into power must work towards a more equal society where every individual has the right to our country’s resources and that they are not limited to the hands of a few. The resources are also non material, like cultural capital, like education and access to the arts. As citizens of the country it is our responsibility to hold every government accountable for this,” she said.

Also Read: Payal Kapadia REACTS to Cannes triumph: “Last few days have been like a dream, greatest learning was being at the FTII”