Sunny Joseph (born 12 October 1957) is an Indian

cinematographer The cinematographer or director of photography (sometimes shortened to DP or DOP) is the person responsible for the photographing or recording of a film, television production, music video or other live action piece. The cinematographer is the ch ...

and

director Director may refer to: Literature * ''Director'' (magazine), a British magazine * ''The Director'' (novel), a 1971 novel by Henry Denker * ''The Director'' (play), a 2000 play by Nancy Hasty Music * Director (band), an Irish rock band * ''Di ...

from

Kerala Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Cochin, Malabar, South ...

, most known for his work in

Shaji N. Karun Shaji Neelakantan Karun (born 1 January 1952) is an Indian film director and cinematographer. His debut film ''Piravi'' (1988) won the Caméra d'Or – Mention d'honneur at the 1989 Cannes Film Festival. He was the premiere chairman of the Kerala ...

classic, ''

Piravi ''Piravi'' ( en, italic=yes, The Birth) is a 1989 Indian Malayalam-language drama film directed by Shaji N. Karun. It stars Premji, Archana and Lakshmi Krishnamurthy. The film is based on the life of professor T. V. Eachara Warrier, whose son ...

'', for which he won the 1988

Kerala State Film Award for Best Photography The Kerala State Film Award The Kerala State Film Awards are the film awards for a motion picture made in Kerala. The awards started in 1969 by the Department of Cultural Affairs, Government of Kerala and since 1998 the awards have bee ...

and

Caméra d'Or The Caméra d'Or ("''Golden Camera''") is an award of the Cannes Film Festival for the best first feature film presented in one of the Cannes' selections (Official Selection, Directors' Fortnight or International Critics' Week The International ...

— Mention Spéciale at the

1989 Cannes Film Festival The 42nd Cannes Film Festival was held from 11 to 23 May 1989. The Palme d'Or went to ''Sex, Lies, and Videotape'' by Steven Soderbergh. The festival opened with ''New York Stories'', anthology film directed by Woody Allen, Francis Ford Coppola, ...

. He has Post Graduate Diploma in Cinematography from the

Film and Television Institute of India The Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) is a film institute under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting of the Government of India and aided by the Central Government of India. It is situated on the premises of the erstwhile ...

(FTII), Pune. He is a former Chairman and General Secretary of Indian Society of Cinematographers, (ISC).

Early life and education

Born in 1957 in Kerala to CV Joseph and Thressiamma, he grew up in the household of two brothers (including a twin brother), and six younger sisters. Sunny did his P.D.C. from St. Michael's College,

Cherthala Cherthala, , (formerly Shertalai, Shertallai or Shertallay) is a Municipal town and a Taluk located at National highway 66 in the district of Alappuzha, in the state of Kerala, India. Cherthala is the satellite town and industrial hub of Ala ...

(

Kerala University University of Kerala, formerly the University of Travancore, is a state-run public university located in Thiruvananthapuram, the state capital of Kerala, India. It was established in 1937 by a promulgation of the Maharajah of Travancore, Chit ...

) in Alappuzha district in 1974, followed by B.Sc. in Zoology (completed course) from Deva Matha College,

Kuravilangad Kuravilangad is an Indian town located in the northern part of the Kottayam district in Kerala. It is situated in the Meenachil taluk, about 22 km north of the district capital Kottayam and 17 km west of the municipal town Pala. Ku ...

, in the Kottayam district in 1977. He joined the

(FTII),

Pune Pune (; ; also known as Poona, (List of renamed Indian cities and states#Maharashtra, the official name from 1818 until 1978) is one of the most important industrial and educational hubs of India, with an estimated population of 7.4 million ...

in 1979, where he did a course - Diploma in Cinema, specializing in Motion Picture Photography and graduated in 1983.

Career

After graduating from

in 1983, Sunny Joseph started working as a cinematographer in 1987. ''

'' the film which he photographed for

became a landmark in his career and in Indian Cinema. In 2002, Sunny assisted veteran cinematographer and

Adoor Gopalakrishnan Adoor Gopalakrishnan (born 3 July 1941) is an Indian film director, script writer, and producer and is regarded as one of the most notable and renowned filmmakers in India. With the release of his first feature film '' Swayamvaram'' (1972), Go ...

long-time collaborator,

Mankada Ravi Varma Mankada Ravi Varma (4 June 1926 – 22 November 2010) was an Indian cinematographer and director who worked in Malayalam cinema. He is exclusively known for his association with renowned film-maker Adoor Gopalakrishnan. He has associated with ot ...

, in his last work, ''

Nizhalkuthu ''Nizhalkuthu'' ( en, Shadow Kill, french: Le Serviteur de Kali) is a 2002 Indian film in Malayalam directed, written and co-produced by Adoor Gopalakrishnan. The film explores the recesses of the human consciousness. It stars Oduvil Unnikrishn ...

'' (2002) and eventually shot many scenes in the film for which Sunny is credited alongside Mankada Ravi Varma.

Selected filmography

* ''

Theertham Theertham (Theertha or Tirtha) literally refers to water. In Hindu sacred literature, it is referred to as the physical holy water body associated with a temple or deity. As per Hindu religious belief, water is the principal purification mechanis ...

'' (1987) * ''

'' (1988) * ''Ore Thooval Pakshikal'' (1988) * ''Eenam Maranna Kattu'' (1988) * ''Unni'' (1989) * ''Pooram'' (1989) * ''

Alicinte Anveshanam ''Alicinte Anveshanam'' ( en, The Search of Alice, italic=yes) is a 1989 Malayalam-language film written and directed by T. V. Chandran.The story revolves around a woman named Alice(Jalaja) who goes in search of her missing husband. Plot Set i ...

'' (1989) * ''Ottayal Pattalam'' (1990) * ''Ottayadipathakal'' (1990) * ''Kshanakathu'' (1990) * ''

Vasthuhara ''Vaasthuhara'' () is a 1991 Indian Malayalam-language social drama film written and directed by G. Aravindan. It is based on the short story of the same name by C. V. Sreeraman. The film looks into the lives of partition refugees from East B ...

'' (1991) * ''

Aanaval Mothiram ''Aanaval Mothiram'' (Malayalam: ആനവാൽ മോതിരം) is a 1991 Malayalam film directed by G. S. Vijayan, written by T. Damodaran, and starring Sreenivasan, Suresh Gopi, Saranya Ponvannan, and Jagathy Sreekumar. The plot is lo ...

'' (1991) * ''Satyaprathinja'' (1991) * '' Mangamma'' (1997) * ''Kahini'' * '' Sanabi'' (1995) * ''

Mogamul ''Mogamul'' is a 1995 Tamil language film directed by Gnana Rajasekaran based on a novel written by Thi. Janakiraman. The film stars Archana Joglekar, Nedumudi Venu and Abhishek, while Vivek and Vennira Aadai Moorthy play supporting roles. The ...

'' (1995) * ''

America! America!! ''America! America!!'' is a 1997 Indian Kannada-language family drama film written and directed by Nagathihalli Chandrashekhar. It stars Ramesh Aravind, Akshay Anand and Hema Panchamukhi, with H. G. Dattatreya, Vaishali Kasaravalli and Shivar ...

'' (1997) * '' Daya'' (1998) * ''

Train to Pakistan ''Train to Pakistan'' is a historical novel by writer Khushwant Singh, published in 1956. It recounts the Partition of India in August 1947 through the perspective of Mano Majra, a fictional border village. Instead of depicting the Partiti ...

'' (1998) * ''

Angene Oru Avadhikkalathu ''Angene Oru Avadhikkalathu'' () is a 1999 Indian Malayalam-language drama film directed by Mohan and written by Sreenivasan from a story by Nedumudi Venu. It stars Sreenivasan, Samyuktha Varma, and Mukesh. The music was composed by Johnson. ' ...

'' (1999) * ''

Oru Cheru Punchiri ''Oru Cheru Punchiri'' (English: ''A Slender Smile'') is a 2000 Malayalam film written and directed by M.T. Vasudevan Nair. This is his sixth film as a director. The film stars Oduvil Unnikrishnan and Nirmala Sreenivasan in the lead roles. The ...

'' (2000) * ''

'' (2002) * ''Dance Like A Man'' (2003) * ''

Thilaadanam ''Thiladaanam'' (The Rite... A Passion) is a 2000 Indian Telugu-language drama film, written, and directed by film-critic K. N. T. Sastry in his debut directorial, based on the story by Rentala Nageswara Rao. The film features H. G. Dattatreya, ...

'' (2002) * ''

Daivanamathil ''Daivanamathil'' () is a 2005 Indian Malayalam-language film directed by Jayaraj and written and produced by Aryadan Shoukath. The film is based on the Demolition of the Babri Masjid in December 1992, which had its repercussions on Muslims in ...

'' * '' Kamli'' (2006) * ''

Ami, Yasin Ar Amar Madhubala ''Ami, Yasin Ar Amar Madhubala'' ('Me, Yasin and my honeymoon') is a 2007 Indian Bengali film directed and written by Buddhadev Dasgupta. The film was screened at the Toronto International Film Festival. Plot When a Kolkata surveillance special ...

'' (2007) * ''

Chintu Ji ''Chintu Ji'' is a Bollywood film that was released on 4 September 2009. It stars Rishi Kapoor, Priyanshu Chaterjee, Kulraj Randhawa. It was directed by Ranjit Kapoor and written by Shabbir Ahmed. The film was released on Rishi Kapoor's 57th Bi ...

'' * ''

Janala ''Janala'' ( The window) is a 2009 Bengali film directed by Buddhadeb Dasgupta and produced under Reliance Pictures banner. The music of the film was composed by Biswadeb Dasgupta. The film received best film's title in the 54th Asia Pacific Film ...

'' * '' O Maria'' (2011) * '' Ramanujan'' (2014) * ''Sweet Home'' (2014) * ''Moral Nights'' (2021) * ''Tayaa'' Under production

References

External links

Official website
*
Interview with Sunny Joseph -Cinematographer
{{DEFAULTSORT:Joseph, Sunny 1957 births Living people Cinematographers from Kerala Film and Television Institute of India alumni Kerala State Film Award winners University of Kerala alumni Malayalam film cinematographers People from Alappuzha district Tamil film cinematographers 20th-century Indian film directors Film directors from Kerala 20th-century Indian photographers