Cannes [France], At a glittering ceremony at the 77th Cannes Film Festival, India's cinematographer Santosh Sivan was awarded the prestigious Pierre Angenieu Excellence in Cinematography Honour. Actress Preity Zinta presented the award. The event took place at the prestigious Palace des Festivals on Friday, celebrating the art of cinematography and the profound impact of Indian cinema on the world stage.
Draped in a beautiful pink saree, Preity Zinta graced the stage to present the award to her longtime collaborator Sivan. Her professional journey began with Mani Ratnam's 1998 romantic drama 'Di Se', where Sivan's cinematography beautifully captured Zinta's debut performance.Their reunion at Cannes marked an important milestone in their career, they are all set to work together again on the upcoming period drama 'Lahore 1947' directed by Rajkumar Santoshi. The Pierre Angenieux Excellence Award, instituted in 2013, honors Santosh for outstanding contributions to the field of cinematography. Sivan's recognition is particularly noteworthy as he is the first person from Asia to receive this honour, joining the ranks of renowned cinematographers such as Edward Lachman, Agnes Goddard, Barry Ackroyd and Roger Deakins. Reflecting on his journey, Sivan expressed gratitude and nostalgia as he recalled his early use. In an interview with Variety he said of the Angenix lens in the film 'Rakh' (1989) starring Aamir Khan, "This award means a lot to me, previous recipients include DOPs I admire, including Zigmund and Deakins is involved.Sivan's illustrious career spans decades, encompassing over 55 feature films and numerous documentaries. His notable collaborations with director Mani Ratnam in films like 'Roja', 'Thalapathy', 'Dil Se' and 'Iruvar' have left an indelible mark. His cinematic artistry on Indian cinema also extends to international projects like Gurinde Chaddha's 'Bride and Prejudice' and MF Hussain's 'Meenaxi'. Discussing his artistic philosophy, Sivan eloquently described, "For me, light and shadow are the melody, and the composition and movement of the camera is the rhythm. If I feel that these two things are in a shot, then I'm excited, I love it.Sivan also talked about this shift with his directorial debut 'Urumi' (2011) and fully embracing digital with 'Thuppakki' (2012).
Draped in a beautiful pink saree, Preity Zinta graced the stage to present the award to her longtime collaborator Sivan. Her professional journey began with Mani Ratnam's 1998 romantic drama 'Di Se', where Sivan's cinematography beautifully captured Zinta's debut performance.Their reunion at Cannes marked an important milestone in their career, they are all set to work together again on the upcoming period drama 'Lahore 1947' directed by Rajkumar Santoshi. The Pierre Angenieux Excellence Award, instituted in 2013, honors Santosh for outstanding contributions to the field of cinematography. Sivan's recognition is particularly noteworthy as he is the first person from Asia to receive this honour, joining the ranks of renowned cinematographers such as Edward Lachman, Agnes Goddard, Barry Ackroyd and Roger Deakins. Reflecting on his journey, Sivan expressed gratitude and nostalgia as he recalled his early use. In an interview with Variety he said of the Angenix lens in the film 'Rakh' (1989) starring Aamir Khan, "This award means a lot to me, previous recipients include DOPs I admire, including Zigmund and Deakins is involved.Sivan's illustrious career spans decades, encompassing over 55 feature films and numerous documentaries. His notable collaborations with director Mani Ratnam in films like 'Roja', 'Thalapathy', 'Dil Se' and 'Iruvar' have left an indelible mark. His cinematic artistry on Indian cinema also extends to international projects like Gurinde Chaddha's 'Bride and Prejudice' and MF Hussain's 'Meenaxi'. Discussing his artistic philosophy, Sivan eloquently described, "For me, light and shadow are the melody, and the composition and movement of the camera is the rhythm. If I feel that these two things are in a shot, then I'm excited, I love it.Sivan also talked about this shift with his directorial debut 'Urumi' (2011) and fully embracing digital with 'Thuppakki' (2012).