A Night of Knowing Nothing is a documentary film, directed by Payal Kapadia and released in 2021.[1] An exploration of university student life in India,[2] the film centres on letters written by L., a student at the Film and Television Institute of India, to her estranged boyfriend after they are separated when he is forced to quit film school and denied permission from his family to continue dating L. because she is not of the same caste.[3]
| A Night of Knowing Nothing | |
|---|---|
 Film poster | |
| Directed by | Payal Kapadia |
| Written by | Payal Kapadia Himanshu Prajapati |
| Produced by | Ranabir Das Julien Graff Thomas Hakim |
| Narrated by | Bhumisuta Das |
| Cinematography | Ranabir Das |
| Edited by | Ranabir Das |
Production companies | petit chaos Another Birth |
| Distributed by | Square Eyes |
Release date |
|
Running time | 97 minutes |
| Countries | France India |
| Languages | Hindi Bengali |
The film premiered in the Directors' Fortnight stream at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival,[1] where it was named the winner of the L'Œil d'or award for Best Documentary Film.[4] It was subsequently screened at the 2021 Toronto International Film Festival, where it was one of the winners of the Amplify Voices Award.[5]
The film has been acquired for commercial distribution by Square Eyes.[6]
Release
editA Night of Knowing Nothing premiered in the Directors' Fortnight stream at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival.[1] It was also screened at the 26th Busan International Film Festival and nominated for 'Busan Cinephile Award' in 'Wide Angle' section in October 2021.[7]
Reception
editCritical response
editOn Rotten Tomatoes, the documentary holds an approval rating of 96% based on 24 reviews, with an average rating of 8/10.[8]
Awards and nominations
edit| Year | Award | Category | Recipient | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Asia Pacific Screen Awards | Best Feature Film | Payal Kapadia, Thomas Hakim, Julien Graff and Ranabir Das | Nominated | [9] |
| 2021 | Busan International Film Festival | Sonje Award | A Night of Knowing Nothing | Nominated | [7] |
| 2021 | Cannes Film Festival | Caméra d'Or | Payal Kapadia | Nominated | [10] |
| Golden Eye | Won | ||||
| 2021 | Toronto International Film Festival | Amplify Voices Award | Won | [11] | |
| 2022 | Indian Film Festival of Melbourne | Best Documentary | A Night of Knowing Nothing | Won | [12] |
References
edit- ^ a b c "Payal Kapadia's 'A Night of Knowing Nothing' part of Directors' Fortnight section at Cannes 2021". The Hindu. PTI. 8 June 2021. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
- ^ Naman Ramachandran, "Cannes Fresh Faces: Directors’ Fortnight Selection ‘A Night of Knowing Nothing’ Director Payal Kapadia". Variety, 9 July 2021.
- ^ Marta Bałaga, "Review: A Night of Knowing Nothing". Cineuropa, 19 July 2021.
- ^ "Cannes' Golden Eye award goes to A Night of Knowing Nothing". Hindustan Times. 18 July 2021.
- ^ Steve Pond, "‘Belfast’ Wins Toronto Film Festival’s People’s Choice Award". TheWrap, 18 September 2021.
- ^ Orlando Parfitt, "Square Eyes takes worldwide rights to Directors’ Fortnight doc ‘A Night of Knowing Nothing’". Screen Daily, 4 August 2021.
- ^ a b "A NIGHT OF KNOWING NOTHING". Mubi. 20 September 2021. Retrieved 20 September 2021.
- ^ "A NIGHT OF KNOWING NOTHING". rottentomatoes.com. Retrieved 10 July 2022.
- ^ Valerie Complex (12 October 2021). "Asia Pacific Screen Academy Announces Nominees For 14th Annual Awards Ceremony". Deadline. Retrieved 17 November 2021.
- ^ "Cannes 2021: Payal Kapadia's A Night of Knowing Nothing Wins Best Documentary". the quint. 18 July 2021. Retrieved 2 December 2021.
- ^ "Payal Kapadia's documentary, 'A Night of Knowing Nothing', bags Amplify Voices Award at TIFF". The Economic Times. 20 September 2021. Retrieved 2 December 2021.
- ^ "Here's the complete list of winners for IFFM Awards 2022". Firstpost. 16 August 2022. Retrieved 16 August 2022.