Cannes: Indian documentary 'All That Breathes' wins L'Oeil d'Or award
Delhi-based filmmaker Shaunak Sen's documentary All That Breathes has been dominating headlines ever since it won the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year. It was also chosen for the Special Screening category at the 75th edition of the Cannes Film Festival. Now, the documentary has bagged the L'Oeil d'Or (the Golden Eye) Award at the prestigious film festival. Congratulations!
Why does this story matter?
The 90-minute-long documentary is Sen's second directorial after his 2016 film Cities of Sleep. The 2022 documentary focuses on two Delhi-based brothers—Mohammad Saud and Nadeem Shehzad—who have dedicated their lives to rescuing injured birds of prey such as storks and barbettes. All That Breathes also carries the honor of being India's only official selection at Cannes this year.
'It reminds us that every life matters'
The Golden Eye jury, comprising Hicham Falah, Alex Vicente, Pierre Deladonchamps, Iryna Tsilyk, and Agnieszka Holland, deemed the documentary worthy of the coveted title. The jury commented, "The Golden Eye goes to a film that, in a world of destruction, reminds us that every life matters, and every small action matters." They further noted that it is an inspirational story of three "Don Quixotes."
HBO has acquired documentary's streaming rights
All That Breathes, after its US release this year, will hit HBO and HBO Max in 2023. Commenting on the documentary finding a new home, Sen earlier remarked, "Most of us (the crew) have grown up associating the unmistakable white noise of the HBO logo with high-quality cinematic programming." An exhilarated Sen also expressed joy at his film now reaching a global audience.
Another Indian filmmaker Payal Kapadia won the award in 2021
To recall, Mumbai-based filmmaker Payal Kapadia was honored with the Golden Eye Award in 2021 for her documentary A Night of Knowing Nothing, after scoring an edge over 28 documentaries from around the world. This earned the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) alumna the distinction of being the first-ever Indian to be recognized with the award in its six years of existence.
