Acclaimed filmmaker Payal Kapadia is set to return to the Cannes Film Festival in 2025 — but not with a film this time. She joins the main competition jury, becoming one of the select few Indian filmmakers to take a seat on the prestigious panel.

The jury this year will be led by renowned French actor Juliette Binoche, including American actor and director Halle Berry, Italian star Alba Rohrwacher, French-Moroccan writer Leïla Slimani, Congolese filmmaker Dieudo Hamadi, Korean auteur Hong Sangsoo, Mexican director Carlos Reygadas, and American actor Jeremy Strong.

The panel will award the Palme d'Or to one of the 21 films in competition, with the winner announced on May 24 during the closing ceremony.

Kapadia's appointment is a significant moment not just for her but for Indian cinema as a whole. A graduate of the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), her journey with Cannes has been remarkable. 

She first appeared at the festival in 2017 with her short Afternoon Clouds, screened as part of La Cinef. In 2021, her documentary "A Night of Knowing Nothing" won the L'Œil d'or (Golden Eye) for Best Documentary, firmly placing her on the international film map.

Her debut fiction feature "All We Imagine As Light" — a tender exploration of female friendship, love, and longing set in Mumbai — made history in 2024. 

It became the first Indian film in three decades to compete in Cannes' main competition and went on to win the Grand Prix, the festival's second-highest honour. 

That same year, Kapadia was awarded the French government's prestigious title of "Officier dans l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres" for her contributions to the arts.

Juliette Binoche, chairing the 2025 jury, brings her own celebrated legacy to the table, with credits spanning Certified Copy, "The English Patient", "Three Colors: Blue", "Chocolat", and "The Taste of Things".

Kapadia now joins a distinguished list of Indian cinema figures who've served on the Cannes jury, including Mrinal Sen, Mira Nair, Shekhar Kapur, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Nandita Das, Sharmila Tagore, Vidya Balan, and Deepika Padukone.

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