Hong Kong, March 18 : Payal Kapadia achieved a major milestone at the 2025 Asian Film Awards, where her film All We Imagine As Light won the coveted Best Film award. The awards, which celebrate excellence in Asian cinema, took place on Sunday at the Xiqu Centre in Hong Kong’s West Kowloon Cultural District.
Competing against strong contenders like Black Dog (China), Exhuma (South Korea), Teki Cometh (Japan), and Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In (Hong Kong), Kapadia’s film stood out. Upon receiving the award, she expressed her gratitude, saying, “Thank you so much to my lead actors – three incredible artists and human beings. They are the ones who made this film what it is. I’m so happy that we could end our journey here in Hong Kong, a city that has meant a lot to me, watching the amazing films from this city over the years.”
All We Imagine As Light stars Kani Kusruti, Divya Prabha, Chhaya Kadam, Anand Sami, and Hridhu Haroon. The film follows the story of Prabha, a troubled nurse who receives an unexpected gift from her estranged husband, and her young roommate Anu, who seeks intimacy with her boyfriend. Their journey to a beach town forces them to confront their emotions and desires. The film is currently available for streaming on Disney+ Hotstar.
In other awards, Shahana Goswami won the Best Actress award for her role in Santosh, a film directed by debutant filmmaker Sandhya Suri. Suri also won the Best New Director award. Goswami, in her acceptance speech, said, “I’d also like to thank myself. I feel like I’m always under-confident and never give myself enough credit, so I want to thank the Asian Film Awards Academy for giving me this vote of confidence.”
Santosh follows the story of a young Hindu widow, played by Goswami, who inherits her late husband’s job as a police constable through a government scheme. As she becomes embroiled in institutional corruption, she works with veteran detective Inspector Sharma (played by Sunita Rajwar) on a brutal murder case involving a teenage girl from a lower-caste Dalit community. The film is an international co-production between the United Kingdom, India, Germany, and France.