Palakkad natives behind Payal Kapadia’s ‘All We Imagine as Light’ success at Cannes
Palakkad natives behind Payal Kapadia’s ‘All We Imagine as Light’ success at Cannes
Notably, the Palakkad natives Pranav Raj, Naseem Azad, and Robin Joy have made the district proud by accomplishing great success at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival. The trio, who once dreamt of making movies have now reached the pinnacle of their careers with Payal Kapadia’s film ‘All We Imagine as Light’, which won the coveted ‘Grand Prix’ award.
Robin Joy worked as associate director of the film while Pranav Raj took on the roles of executive producer and casting director. Naseem Azad contributed as the script supervisor and Malayalam dialogue writer. Other Palakkad connections include actor
K S Ardra, and Akhil Devan, part of the casting team.
They embarked on their journey in the midst of their undergraduate days at Victoria College, where Pranav Raj and Naseem Azad, prompted by their passion for filmmaking, started making short films. ‘No Signal’ was their first short film. Their collaboration expanded when they met Robin Joy, who had already made a mark at the Palakkad Short Film Festival. Under the banner of ‘Blessed with a Curse,’ they ventured into various film-related activities, participating in seminars and documentary screenings across the district.
Their pursuit of higher education in the field led Robin Joy to complete a PG in Direction from the Film and Television Institute, Pune, where Payal Kapadia was his senior. Pranav Raj secured a Diploma in Acting from the National School of Drama and a Diploma in Film Editing from L V Prasad College of Media Studies. Naseem Azad pursued a Diploma in Cinematography from K R Narayanan Institute of Film Studies.
After completing B Tech from Thrissur College of Engineering, Akhil Devan later turned to online media and short film production. After completing Media Studies at Malayalam University, Ardra came to IIT Mumbai for research. She is currently a research student at IIT Palakkad and also a writer. She has authored a collection of short stories titled ‘Kamala Cult’.
Naseem has been involved in notable productions like ‘Ishq,’ ‘Talakkuri,’ and ‘Arike.’ Pranav Raj’s executive production credits include the movie ‘Thrishanku’ and the directorial team of ‘Pada.’
News Edit K.V.Raman
