Filipino auteur Lav Diaz has named Payal Kapadia’s All We Imagine As Light as his most affecting first-watch of 2025, saying the Indian filmmaker’s Cannes-winning drama restored his faith in humanity.
Speaking to Screen Slate for their Best Of 2025 list, Diaz said that among the films he watched this year, Kapadia’s work stood apart for its “truthful understanding of culture and the human condition”.
Recounting his viewing experience mid-flight to New York, the veteran director said the film moved him to tears not through melodrama, but through what he described as its “sublime vision—that humanity shall survive”.
“I was weeping not for its earnest melodrama, but for its sublime vision,” Diaz said.
Diaz, one of the most influential voices in contemporary world cinema, is known for his austere, long-form storytelling and politically-charged narratives. His films, including From What Is Before, Norte, the End of History and The Woman Who Left, have been widely acclaimed on the international festival circuit.
Diaz’s latest work, Magellan, revisits the life and legacy of the Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan. The historical drama premiered at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival.
Kapadia’s All We Imagine As Light premiered at the annual film festival in the French coastal city in 2024. It won the Grand Prix award in the main competition section.
The Mumbai-based Malayalam-language drama stars Kani Kusruti, Divya Prabha, Chhaya Kadam, Hridhu Haroon, and Azees Nedumangad.
