AI, tech talent, and regional innovation: A swan song from retiring WTIA CEO Michael Schutzler

Technology

Michael Schutzler, who plans to focus in part on music after retiring from his role as WTIA CEO, checks out Mike & Mike’s Guitar Bar near the GeekWire offices in Seattle’s Fremont neighborhood after recording an episode of the GeekWire Podcast. (GeekWire Photo / Todd Bishop)

Michael Schutzler, the newly retired CEO of the Washington Technology Industry Association (WTIA), joins us on this episode of the GeekWire Podcast to reflect on his 11 years running the not-for-profit trade association, assess the state of the tech industry in Seattle and Washington state, and discuss what’s next for him.

WTIA is in a much different position than it was in 2013. That’s when Schutzler arrived at the association, after selling LiveMocha to Rosetta Stone, for what he assumed would be a turnaround effort lasting a couple of years.

Under Schutzler’s leadership, WTIA launched programs and initiatives including Portalus, a for-profit provider of healthcare and retirement plans for startups and small tech companies; the U.S. Blockchain Coalition; and Apprenti, a technology apprenticeship program that was recently spun out as an independent company.

Of course, the wider tech world is in a very different place, as well.

Schutzler, who has been succeeded as WTIA’s CEO by Kelly Fukai, previously its COO, wrote about the extraordinary history and evolution of the state’s tech industry in a recent post marking the WTIA’s 40th anniversary and his retirement.

On the podcast, Schutzler said the companies that build strong, productive cultures of hybrid work will ultimately prevail, due to their greater access to talent.

However, Schutzler said he believes the location of a company’s headquarters and its decision-makers still matters, as the nexus of its relationship with the community. This is a central issue for regional tech trade groups like WTIA.

As an example, he distinguished between the relationships that Amazon and Microsoft have to the Seattle region and Washington state, where they’re based, in contrast with the Silicon Valley giants that with major outposts here.

“Really the power of the organization is still in California. … If you get large enough in a satellite office, then you’re going to build local relationships, just as Google and Apple and Salesforce and many other California companies have done here. But Microsoft and Amazon, they throw a lot more weight around here because they’re here, and their relationships in this region are very different than their relationships in other states.”

We also discussed Seattle’s long-term status as an AI hub, and where Schutzler sees the value emerging in the AI landscape overall. Here’s what he said on that topic.

“The actual power of AI isn’t the tool itself. It’s not the software. It’s the application. What are you doing with artificial intelligence? That’s the radical transformation that’s underway.

“ChatGPT is really awesome demo software. It’s fun to play with. It’s very clever. It’s very interesting. Does some fun stuff. The actual power is, how do you take an LLM and apply it to medical technology? How do you apply that to manufacturing processes? How do you apply that to cyber security, both on the attack side as well as on the defense side?

“This is where AI is really going to make a big impact.”

Other topics include the interplay between tech giants and startups, and the entrepreneurial activity generated by people who leave large companies. Amazon alumni haven’t made as much of a mark in that way, so far, but Schutzler said he believes this will change based on the company’s evolution over the years.

“Amazon is a logistics company. It was a retailer from day one. It had to become masterful at certain technologies, but their core DNA couldn’t be more different. So you’re not going to hire creatives. You’re going to hire people that are efficient … and really, really good at perfecting the systems.

“Until cloud. When they figured AWS, they were like, ‘Holy shit, margins, let’s take on the world!’ and they become super creative since then. Now, with AI, and this next generation of ex-Amazon folks, I think we’ll see more and more of that [entrepreneurial activity] coming out of Amazon.”

One of the things that’s next for Schutzler — in addition to continued angel investing, startup advising, and five weeks in silent meditation at a Zen monastery — is pursuing his love of music. He is already spending time in a recording studio, and we talked about how he’s using AI to augment his own musical efforts.

But before we wrapped up the podcast and showed him our favorite neighborhood guitar shop, we asked if he had a parting message for the tech and innovation community in Washington state.

Schutzler started by describing his good fortune in landing here in the 1990s. He wasn’t quite sure what to do initially when his wife relocated from Chicago for work. He ended up becoming a serial entrepreneur, angel investor, startup founder, CEO, and senior executive at a variety of tech companies in the years that followed.

“Man, did I land in the right place at the right time in 1995,” he said. “Super grateful. It’s been an incredible experience to have a career and raise a family here.”

And these were his closing thoughts — unsolicited advice, as he called it — for the tech community in Seattle and Washington state.

“For the most part, we’re all hat and no cattle. We talk a good game about working together. We don’t. We talk a good game about supporting startups. We’re really terrible here. We have literally tens of thousands of multi-millionaires printed by this industry, living in this region, and yet, in per-capita participation as angel investors compared to the Valley or Vancouver, B.C., we’re paltry.

“That just bothers me, because we like to think of ourselves as progressive. We like to think of ourselves as communal. But it feels a little bit like, ‘Hey, I made my millions. Guess I’ll go buy my third house and go hang out with my friends.’ … I would just challenge this community to be really, truly focused on building together. Because we don’t. We don’t build together.

“And if we did, I think we might actually become the next Silicon Valley.”

Listen to the full episode above, including a guitar outro from Schutzler. Subscribe to GeekWire in Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen.

Related Coverage

Audio editing by Curt Milton.

Valiant Gets a Reboot in Valiant & Alien Books’ March 2025 Solicits

Arts & Culture, Books

Posted in: Comics, Comics Publishers, Current News, Valiant | Tagged: bloodshot, Valiant BeyondValiant Comics gets a reboot with Valiant Beyond, starting with Bloodshot and Shadowman in Valiant and Alien Books’ March 2025 solicitsArticle Summary
Valiant Comics is rebooting with Valiant Beyond in March 2025 with Bloodshot and Shadowman series.
Bloodshot #1 features a high-stakes battle in Japan against a deadly new drug menace.
Shadowman #1 unveils a thrilling voodoo detective story set in New Orleans.
X-O Manowar #1 (1992) is reprinted, celebrating the classic Valiant era.
Valiant Comics gets a reboot with Valiant Beyond, starting with Bloodshot and Shadowman in Valiant and Alien Books’ March 2025 solicits and solicitations.VALIANT BEYOND BLOODSHOT #1 CVR A MIGLIARI (MR)
VALIANTJAN251295JAN251296 – VALIANT BEYOND BLOODSHOT #1 CVR B GREGO WRAP (MR)JAN251297 – VALIANT BEYOND BLOODSHOT #1 CVR C CALERO CONNECTING (MR)JAN251298 – VALIANT BEYOND BLOODSHOT #1 CVR D FURUKAWA DESIGN (MR)JAN251299 – VALIANT BEYOND BLOODSHOT #1 CVR E MIGLIARI VIRGIN (MR)JAN251300 – VALIANT BEYOND BLOODSHOT #1 CVR F GREGO WRAP VIRGIN (MR)JAN251301 – VALIANT BEYOND BLOODSHOT #1 CVR G CALERO CONNECTING VIRGIN ((W) Mauro Mantella (A) Fernando Heinz Furukawa (CA) Rodolfo MigliariA NEW ERA OF SUPERHERO STORYTELLING BEGINS HERE!Designed as the ULTIMATE jumping-on point, the Valiant Beyond line of comics are ABSOLUTE must-reads that will ENERGIZE your love for superheroes!A powerful new drug is unleashed on Japan and has set the underworld ablaze! There’s only one force strong enough to stop the B-S… and he’s not looking for an invitation to start kicking butt!It’s Bloodshot like you’ve never seen him before in this all-new cutting-edge series from writer Mauro Mantella (BLOODSHOT UNLEASHED: RELOADED) and artist Fernando Heinz Furukawa (X-O MANOWAR: INVICTUS)!Get ready to sink your teeth into 28 pages of action and chaos in this special introductory-priced issue!In Shops: Mar 05, 2025

VALIANT BEYOND TALES SHADOWMAN #1 CVR A CONNELLY
VALIANTJAN251302JAN251303 – VALIANT BEYOND TALES SHADOWMAN #1 CVR B RACHLIN WRAPJAN251304 – VALIANT BEYOND TALE SHADOWMAN #1 CVR C CALERO CONNECTINGJAN251305 – VALIANT BEYOND TALE SHADOWMAN #1 CVR D PONCE DESIGNJAN251306 – VALIANT BEYOND TALE SHADOWMAN #1 CVR E CONNELLY VIRGINJAN251307 – VALIANT BEYOND TALE SHADOWMAN #1 CVR F RACHLIN VIRGINJAN251308 – VALIANT BEYOND TALE SHADOWMAN #1 CVR G CALERO CONNECTING VIR(W) AJ Ampadu (A) Sergio Monjes (CA) Damian ConnellyTHE NEW ERA OF VALIANT COMICS CONTINUES!Designed as the ULTIMATE jumping-on point, the Valiant Beyond line of comics are ABSOLUTE must-reads that will ENERGIZE your love for superheroes!The city of New Orleans is home to a rich history of music, art, and culture that has achieved unparalleled progress and success. It’s the magic capital of the world and home to a hard-nosed detective trained in the ways of Voodoo who has dedicated her life to keeping New Orleans safe! When an ultra-dangerous monster invades her jurisdiction and threatens the peace they’ve fought so hard to protect, she must disobey her orders and summon the mysterious being known as “Shadowman” in order to save the city she loves!Discover the secrets of the Shadowman in this all-new 28 page story from the fan-favorite team of AJ Ampadu and artist Sergio Monjes (SHADOWMAN: SOUL EATERS) at a special introductory price!In Shops: Mar 19, 2025

X-O MANOWAR #1 (1992) FACSIMILE ED
VALIANTJAN251310(CA) Bob LaytonTHE 90’s ARE BACK, BABY!The debut issue of 1992’s X-O MANOWAR by comic book legends Jim Shooter, Steve Englehart and Barry Windsor-Smith is reprinted in full in this special facsimile edition from the Valiant age of comics!Aboard a Spider Alien starship, Aric, a Visigoth prisoner, steals the Manowar Class X-O armor and returns to Earth. Upon his arrival home, Aric is shocked to find that 1600 years have passed! Forced to cope in an age not his own, Aric and his new friend Ken Clarkson try to figure out his place in the world. But just because Aric escaped from his shackles doesn’t mean that he’s free as the aliens have targeted him and look to reclaim the armor! In Shops: Mar 26, 2025

KINRYO ROCK GN VOL 00 (OF 4) MOONAGE DAYDREAM (RES) (MR)
ALIEN BOOKSJAN251312(W) Bingo Morihashi (A / CA) Manabu AkishigeBlood, sex, and Rock & Roll! In this world, vampires live among humans, but coexistence is difficult. The moment they don’t follow the rules, special agents are prepared to take them down, some with the strength of the law and others with the power of rock! The prequel volume (Vol. 0: Moonage Daydream) sets the stage with three short stories about the main characters that will collide in the main series (Vols. 1-3: Code: Amrita)!In Shops: Mar 05, 2025
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Roberto Bolaño’s “The Spirit of Science Fiction” published in Persian

Science and Health

TEHRAN-The Persian translation of the novel “The Spirit of Science Fiction” by Chilean author Roberto Bolaño has hit the bookstores across Iran.Mohammad Javadi has translated the book that has been published by Ketabsaraye Tandis Publication, ISNA reported.Written around 1984 and published posthumously, it was published in Spanish in 2016 and in English in 2018.
Although unpublished at his death, “The Spirit of Science Fiction” was one of Bolaño’s first completed novels. It is a tale of bohemian youth on the make in Mexico City from a master of contemporary fiction.
The novel is set in Mexico City in the 1970s; the central characters are two young Chilean would-be writers who have emigrated during the Pinochet dictatorship, 17-year-old Jan Schrella and 21-year-old Remo, and Remo’s friend José Arco. Jan, a science fiction author and Bolaño’s alter ego, sits in the attic they share and writes, much of the time letters to authors he idolizes. Remo, a poet, falls in love with a girl he meets at a poetry workshop, and with Arco, also a poet, quests on the latter’s motorbike after Dr. Carvajal, who can explain the simultaneous rise of illiteracy and proliferation of poetry journals in the city. 
In addition to Jan’s letters, the story is intercut with dreams and with flashforwards to Remo’s life after he is successful; Remo also narrates the last section of the novel, “Mexican Manifesto,” a love story that was published on its own in The New Yorker in 2013.
This kaleidoscopic work of strange and tender beauty is a fitting introduction for readers uninitiated into the thrills of Roberto Bolaño’s fiction and an indispensable addition to an ecstatic and transgressive body of work.
Roberto Bolaño (1953-2003) was a Chilean novelist, short-story writer, poet and essayist. In 1999, he won the Rómulo Gallegos Prize for his novel “The Savage Detectives,” and in 2008 he was posthumously awarded the National Book Critics Circle Award for Fiction for his novel “2666,” which was described by board member Marcela Valdes as a “work so rich and dazzling that it will surely draw readers and scholars for ages”. The New York Times described him as “the most significant Latin American literary voice of his generation”.
His work has been translated into numerous languages, including English, French, German, Italian, Lithuanian, and Dutch. At the time of his death, he had 37 publishing contracts in ten countries. Posthumously, the list grew to include more countries, including the United States, and amounted to 50 contracts and 49 translations in 12 countries, all of them prior to the publication of “2666,” his most ambitious novel.
In addition, the author enjoys excellent reviews from both writers and contemporary literary critics and is considered one of the great Latin American authors of the 20th century, along with other writers of the stature of Jorge Luis Borges and Julio Cortázar, with whom he is usually compared.
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‘Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs’ Debuts In 1937: A Movie Flashback

Arts & Culture, Film & TV

Heigh-ho, heigh-ho…today we celebrate the anniversary of the launch of the animated Walt Disney classic, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Adapted from the Grimm Brothers’ fairy tale, it premiered at the Carthay Circle Theatre in Los Angeles on December 21, 1937. It went into general release in the United States on February 4, 1938. And, historically, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was the first full-length animated film.

Despite concern from the film industry that something full-length in animation would not hold the audience’s attention, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was both a critical and commercial success. It was the highest grossing film at the box office of 1938 (with international earnings of more than $8 million during its initial release versus a $1.5 million budget). It was the highest-grossing film of all time until Aladdin in 1993. And Snow White revolutionized filmmaking and established the foundation for the animation industry.
Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs, poster, from top: Sleepy, Happy, Doc, Sneezy, Grumpy, Bashful, … [+] Dopey, 1937. (Photo by LMPC via Getty Images)LMPC via Getty Images

In honor of 87 years of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, here are 10 interesting factoids about the animated classic.

1) Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was nominated for Best Musical Score at the Academy Awards in 1938, but lost to the musical comedy One Hundred Men and a Girl with Deanna Durbin.
Actress Deanna Durbin in a scene from the movie “One Hundred Men and a Girl” (Photo by Donaldson … [+] Collection/Getty Images)Getty Images

The next year, Walt Disney was awarded an honorary Oscar for Snow White. This award was unique, consisting of one normal-sized, plus seven miniature Oscar statuettes. They were presented to Disney by Shirley Temple.
Child star Shirley Temple presents the American animator and producer, Walt Disney (1901-1966), with … [+] an Oscar and seven miniature statuettes, for his first feature length cartoon, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. USA, ca. 1938. (Photo by © Hulton-Deutsch Collection/CORBIS/Corbis via Getty Images)Corbis via Getty Images

2) One of the technical innovations in animation pioneered by Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was the technique known as the multiplane camera, which creates the illusion of depth by moving multiple layers of artwork past the lens at different speeds and distances. The Disney studio experimented with this technique in animated short The Old Mill, a Silly Symphony, released just a month before Snow White’s.The Old Mill, poster, 1937. (Photo by LMPC via Getty Images)LMPC via Getty Images
3) Walt Disney had originally planned to produce Snow White as a Silly Symphony short, but reconsidered, believing that the story had enough potential for a feature film adaptation.The Walt Disney Studios on Hyperion Avenue, Los Angeles, California, home to the Mickey Mouse and … [+] Silly Symphony sound cartoons, circa 1935. (Photo by Archive Photos/Getty Images)Getty Images
4) Snow White held the title of the highest-grossing sound film until Gone with the Wind in 1939. The lifetime earnings from re-releases bring its total box office gross to over $418 million when adjusted for inflation.(Original Caption) Clark Gable and Vivien Leigh in David O. Selznick’s Gone With the Wind. Released … [+] by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.Bettmann Archive
5) The name of the seven dwarfs are Doc, Grumpy, Happy, Sleepy, Bashful, Sneezy, and Dopey. But other suggested names included Hickey, Gabby, Nifty, Sniffy, Lazy, Puffy, Stuffy, Shorty, Wheezy, Burpy, and Dizzy.Characters at the premier of the 1937 film Snow White and Seven Dwarfs.Bettmann Archive
6) Some people had referred to Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs as “Disney’s Folly” during production because they thought it would fail.Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs, poster, poster art, Snow White, Grumpy, Dopey, Doc, Happy, Sneezy, … [+] Sleepy, Bashful, 1937. (Photo by LMPC via Getty Images)LMPC via Getty Images
7) Walt Disney wanted to keep Snow White’s voice as a special one-time sound, and held the actress who voiced her, Adriana Caselotti, to a very strict contract. Except for a bit part in The Wizard of Oz, and an uncredited role singing in Martini’s bar in Frank Capra’s It’s a Wonderful Life, she never had a real singing part in a movie again.James Stewart (1908 – 1997) (center) sits glumly at a bar in a scene from the film ‘It’s a Wonderful … [+] Life,’ directed by Frank Capra, California, 1946. (Photo by RKO Pictures/Courtesy of Getty Images)Getty Images
8) Lucille La Verne, who voiced both the calculating Queen and her wicked alter ego (the Hag), differentiated between the two voices by removing her dentures when voicing the latter. After Snow White, she retired from acting and opened a nightclub.Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs, poster, foreground, dwarfs from left: Bashful, Sleepy, Doc, Dopey, … [+] Grumpy, Happy, Sneezy; foreground full color figures from left: Wicked Witch, Queen, Snow White, Prince Charming, Huntsman, 1937. (Photo by LMPC via Getty Images)LMPC via Getty Images
9) In 1989, the United States Library of Congress deemed Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant” and selected it as one of the first 25 films for preservation in the National Film Registry. In 2008, the American Film Institute named Snow White as the greatest American animated film of all time.Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs, poster, rear l-r: Wicked Witch, Snow White, Wicked Queen, front … [+] l-r: Sleepy, Happy, Bashful, Grumpy, Dopey, Doc, Sneezy on poster art, 1937. (Photo by LMPC via Getty Images)LMPC via Getty Images
10) Disney’s take on the Snow White fairy tale has had a significant cultural effect, resulting in theme park attractions, a video game, a Broadway musical, countless memorabilia items, and an upcoming live action film with Rachel Zegler as Snow White.

Incoming GOP rep reveals how DOGE will end ‘business as usual’ in DC

Business News

Newly elected GOP Congressman Derek Schmidt told Fox News Digital that the efforts of DOGE will be critical in the next Congress and explained why he is optimistic that Republicans will be on the same page in January to push through President-elect Trump’s agenda. “It’s no more business as usual,” Schmidt, elected in November to represent Kansas’ 2nd Congressional District, told Fox News about the impact of the newly formed Department of Government Efficiency led by Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy as the two lobbied against a 1,500 page continuing resolution that was being debated in the House and opposed by some conservatives for containing too much “pork.””Look, that was the top-line message from the voters last November. They want us to make progress on some of these issues, and we’re not going to make progress by continuing to do the same things and expecting a different result. So, you know, it’s going to be messy. It’s going to be tumultuous, but that’s what it takes in order to get this country back on track.”Schmidt told Fox News Digital that DOGE reforms are part of what Trump ran on.’NO CHOICE’: DOGE LEADERS RALLY HOUSE CONSERVATIVES AGAINST 1,500+ PAGE ‘PORK-FEST’ Former Kansas AG Derek Schmidt will represent Kansas’ 2nd District in Congress in January (Getty Images)”That’s what President Trump promised. That’s what many of us ran on. And that’s what I at least intend to be part of accomplishing,” Schmidt said. “So anything that helps put the genie back in the bottle, that helps move us back in the direction of this, you know, this federal system, this remarkable system of self-government that our founders gave us and that we have drifted so far from, especially since the New Deal, I think is something I want to be part of trying to help fix. I want to leave this country better for my kids than I found it, and that will not be true if we don’t start getting a handle on runaway federal spending. And on this, the sprawling, grotesque federal bureaucracy that is unaccountable to voters.”Despite a net loss of two seats in the 435-member House in November, Republicans will hold a fragile 220-215 majority when the new Congress convenes next month giving them a razor-thin margin for error when attempting to advance Trump’s agenda.Schmidt told Fox News Digital that he expects some “dissension” in the next Congress, which he called “the nature of Democratic self-government” but says he feels confident Republicans will unite on the big issues. “I think we’re going to get the president’s agenda adopted, look, I think a couple of things are true. One, to the extent that I’ve met my fellow incoming class members in the House and to the extent I’ve talked with current House members, there seems to be a broad sense that everybody knows we’ve got to deliver,” Schmidt, who served as Kansas attorney general for over a decade, said. “We have this trifecta, so-called, that the voters have given us. They’ve trusted us to do what we said we’re going to do, and everybody, even though they may have different perspective disagreements, understands we’ve got to deliver, and that means we’ve got to find ways to hang together.”TOP DOGE SENATOR TO DEMAND LAME-DUCK BIDEN AGENCIES HALT COSTLY TELEWORK TALKS, CITING VOTER MANDATE Current Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt gives his “Stump “speech during the Gubernatorial debate at the Kansas State Fair, Hutchinson, Kansas, September 8, 2018

Bemidji State seeks submissions for Northern Minnesota Regional Science Fair

Science and Health

BEMIDJI —

Bemidji State University

is seeking submissions for the Northern Minnesota Regional Science Fair taking place Friday, Feb. 28, at BSU.Students in grades 6-12 are eligible to submit projects before Monday, Feb. 10. Students must reside in one of the following counties: Aitkin, Beltrami, Benton, Cass, Clearwater, Crow Wing, Hubbard, Itasca, Kittson, Koochiching, Lake of the Woods, Marshall, Mille Lacs, Morrison, Pennington, Red Lake, Roseau or Wadena.

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Especially for students who attend schools that no longer host local fairs, the fair allows students to register and compete directly in a regional competition and potentially advance to a state-level fair in March, a release said.Participants can win awards in their categories and special prizes will be awarded for projects demonstrating innovation and potential for real-world impact, a release said. Top projects will compete at the 87th Annual Minnesota Science and Engineering Fair on Friday, March 28, at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds in St. Paul.For those seeking guidance on completing a science fair project and navigating the paperwork, comprehensive tutorials are available at

www.bemidjistate.edu/conferences/science-fair.

More information can be found by contacting fair organizers at

[email protected].

By
Pioneer Staff Report

Our newsroom sometimes reports stories under the byline “Pioneer Staff Report.” This byline is used when reporters rewrite basic news briefs that originate from official sources, such as an email or press release that requires little or no reporting. Other times, this byline is used when a news story includes numerous authors or when the story is formed by aggregating previously reported news from various sources. If outside sources are used, it is noted within the story.For questions about a staff report, call (218) 333-9796 or email [email protected].

Barack Obama names All We Imagine As Light his top movie of 2024

Arts & Culture, Film & TV

Former U.S. President Barack Obama has included Payal Kapadia’s All We Imagine As Light at the top of his annual list of favorite movies for 2024.Sharing his recommendations on social media on Saturday, Obama highlighted his favorite films, books, and music of the year, offering followers and art enthusiasts insights into his top picks. Obama praised Kapadia’s critically acclaimed movie, which also earned a Golden Globe nomination, by featuring it as his top choice. In his post, he wrote, “Here are a few movies I’d recommend checking out this year.” Other notable films on his list include Denis Villeneuve’s Dune Part 2, Sean Baker’s Anora, Edward Berger’s Conclave, and Malcolm Washington’s The Piano Lesson. Kapadia’s All We Imagine As Light has had a remarkable journey this year, representing India on major global platforms. The film made history as the first Indian entry in 30 years to compete in the main section of the Cannes Film Festival, winning the prestigious Grand Prix award. The last Indian film to achieve this feat was Shaji N. Karun’s Swaham in 1994. The movie also earned international accolades, including Best International Feature at the Gotham Awards and Best International Film at the New York Film Critics Circle. It has recently been nominated for two Golden Globes and the Critics’ Choice Awards. Closer to home, Payal Kapadia received the Spirit of Cinema award at the 29th International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK). All We Imagine As Light tells the intertwined stories of Prabha, a troubled nurse dealing with an unexpected gift from her estranged husband, and Anu, her young roommate exploring her romantic desires. The two embark on a transformative trip to a beach town that helps them confront their suppressed emotions and longings. This Indo-French co-production, a collaboration between Petit Chaos (France) and Chalk & Cheese and Another Birth (India), stars Kani Kusruti, Divya Prabha, and Hridhu Haroon, all of whom hail from Kerala.