Indian filmmaker Payal Kapadia’s debut feature film All We Imagine as Light has bagged six nominations — including best film, best director, best screenplay and best editing — at the 2025 edition of the Asian Film Awards, the organisers said in a statement on Friday.

Additionally, Kani Kusruti and Divya Prabha have received acting nods for their performance in the film.

Kapadia, who won the prestigious Grand Prix at the Cannes Film Festival last year, will compete for the best director award against Guan Hu (Black Dog), Jang Jae-hyun (Exhuma), Rithy Panh (Meeting with Pol Pot) and Yoshida Daihachi (Teki Cometh).

In the best film category, All We Imagine as Light is up against Black Dog (China), Exhuma (Korea), Teki Cometh (Japan) and Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In (Hong Kong).

Despite missing out on being India’s official submission for the best international feature film category at the Oscars, the Malayalam drama has been on a winning spree at various award ceremonies. All We Imagine as Light bagged two nominations at the Golden Globe Awards 2025. It was named the best international feature film at the Gotham Awards 2024. It was adjudged the best non-English language film at several critics circles in the US, including the New York Film Critics Circle and the Los Angeles Film Critics Association.

Starring Kani Kusruti, Divya Prabha, Chhaya Kadam, Hridhu Haroon and Azees Nedumangad, All We Imagine as Light revolves around three working women in Mumbai. Nurse Prabha’s (Kani Kusruti) mundane routine is disrupted by an unexpected gift from her estranged husband, while her younger roommate, Anu (Divya Prabha), searches for a private space to be with her boyfriend. Their intertwined journeys culminate in a cathartic trip to a coastal town.

The 2025 Asian Film Awards ceremony is slated to take place on March 16 at the Xiqu Centre in Hong Kong.