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Disney+ Hotstar promotes ‘All We Imagine As Light’ through influencers

The choice of celebrities, Varun Grover, Barkha Dutt, Faye D'Souza and others, is interesting as it varies from journalists to lyricists to screenwriters to actors. 

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Benita Chacko
New Update
All we imagine as light

Disney+ Hotstar has released Festival De Cannes Grand Prix-winner and Golden Globe-nominated All We Imagine As Light, and the platform is actively promoting it on social media to encourage more viewership.

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The platform has roped in several prominent celebrities to promote the film on Instagram. The choice of celebrities is interesting as it varies from journalists to lyricists to screenwriters to actors.

Journalists Faye D’Souza and Barkha Dutt, lyricist Varun Grover, screenwriter Dhruv Sehgal, and actor Anupam Kher have shared a video on Instagram giving their views on the film and urging their followers to watch it on the OTT platform. 

While D’Souza and Sehgal have mentioned the post to be an ad, others have shared the video without any disclaimer.

The selection of celebrities could be attributed to the film's distinction as an 'art film', rather than a mainstream or popular film. Thus, the film's audience is likely to be more cerebral and inclined to follow these personalities on social media, as opposed to traditional film stars.

Usually platforms promote their new releases through their own cast—this could be through events, interviews, and social media posts. However, while other celebrities have shared videos urging viewers to watch this film, none of the three lead actors have posted any. They have shared other promotional posts relating to the film’s release on social media. 

Disney+ Hotstar, which released the film on January 3, has pulled out all stops to promote the film on its social media. Its description on Instagram also says, "Imagine light, with us”, and the bio has a direct link to the film on its platform. 

The Payal Kapadia-directed film had its world premiere on May 23 at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival. It was the first film from India to compete in the main competition since Swaham in 1994.

It received a limited release in Kerala, India, on September 21, 2024, before opening wide on November 29, 2024. The film received critical acclaim globally and earned $2.6 million globally. 

As the film had acclaimed runs at film festivals around the world, it became the talk of the year. In fact, even former US President Barack Obama included it in his list of top movies for 2024.

The film recently earned two Golden Globe nominations: Best Motion Picture—Non-English Language and Best Director, with the filmmaker becoming only the third woman director from Asia to achieve this honor. Additionally, the film received a nomination for Best Foreign Language Film at the Critics' Choice Awards.

However, the theatrical window prior to the OTT release was relatively brief—just a month. Many people may be waiting to watch the film on OTT. Much-awaited films such as these have the potential to attract new subscribers to OTT platforms, which may account for the marketing blitz surrounding the film. 

Disney+ Hotstar
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