Celebrated Indian filmmaker Payal Kapadia made a remarkable return to the global spotlight as she walked the red carpet at the opening ceremony of the 78th Cannes Film Festival, this time as a jury member of the prestigious international gala.

Her inclusion in the Cannes jury panel marks yet another milestone in her illustrious career, coming a year after she made history by becoming the first Indian director to win the Grand Prix for her debut feature film, All We Imagine As Light. The Malayalam-Hindi film, a joint Indo-French production, also broke a 30-year-long hiatus for India in the Cannes Competition section.

Kapadia joined an illustrious panel led by jury president Juliette Binoche, and comprised of international luminaries including Halle Berry, Alba Rohrwacher, Leila Slimani, Dieudo Hamadi, Hong Sangsoo, Carlos Reygadas, and Jeremy Strong.

On the red carpet, Kapadia stood out with her oversized striped grey pantsuit paired with a printed black shirt — an understated yet impactful choice. For the jury photocall, she wore a striking ensemble by designer Payal Khandwala — a blue blouse and red asymmetrical skirt. Notably, Khandwala also styled Kapadia for her Golden Globes 2025 red carpet appearance earlier this year.

As part of the jury, Kapadia will help determine the winner of the coveted Palme d’Or, selected from 21 films competing this year. The Cannes Film Festival will announce its winners during the closing ceremony on May 24.

She now joins a distinguished list of Indian film personalities 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 — cementing her place as a global ambassador of Indian cinema.