Santosh Sivan
ISC (born 8 February 1964) is an Indian
cinematographer
The cinematographer or director of photography (sometimes shortened to DP or DOP) is the person responsible for the recording of a film, television production, music video or other live-action piece. The cinematographer is the chief of the camera ...
, film director, producer and actor known for his works in
Malayalam
Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian languages, Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry (union territory), Puducherry (Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of ...
,
Tamil
Tamil may refer to:
People, culture and language
* Tamils, an ethno-linguistic group native to India, Sri Lanka, and some other parts of Asia
**Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka
** Myanmar or Burmese Tamils, Tamil people of Ind ...
and
Hindi cinema
Hindi cinema, popularly known as Bollywood and formerly as Bombay cinema, is primarily produced in Mumbai. The popular term Bollywood is a portmanteau of "Bombay" (former name of Mumbai) and "Cinema of the United States, Hollywood". The in ...
.
Santosh graduated 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 (India), Ministry of Information and Broadcasting of the Government of India and aided by the Central Government of India. ...
and has, to date, completed 55 feature films and 50 documentaries. He is regarded as one of India's finest and best cinematographers. He is the recipient of the
Pierre Angénieux Excellens in Cinematography, twelve
National Film Awards
The National Film Awards are awards for artistic and technical merit given for "Excellence within the Cinema of India, Indian film industry". Established in 1954, it has been administered, along with the International Film Festival of India ...
, six
Filmfare Awards
The Filmfare Awards are annual awards that honour artistic and technical excellence in the Indian cinema.Al The Filmfare ceremony is one of the most famous film events in India. The awards were introduced by Filmfare magazine of The Times G ...
, four
Kerala State Film Awards
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 been bestowed by Kerala State Cha ...
, and three
Tamil Nadu State Film Awards
Tamil Nadu State Film Awards were given for excellence in Cinema of Tamil Nadu, Tamil cinema in India. They were given annually to honour the best talents and provide encouragement and incentive to the South Indian film industry by the Governmen ...
.
Career
Santosh, a founding member of the
Indian Society of Cinematographers and the most awarded Director of Photography in India, graduated 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 (India), Ministry of Information and Broadcasting of the Government of India and aided by the Central Government of India. ...
and completed 45 feature films and 41 documentaries.
As a director, Santosh won his first National Award 1988 for the ''Story of Tiblu'' (1988). His film ''
Halo
HALO, halo, halos or haloes may refer to:
Most common meanings
* Halo (optical phenomenon)
* Halo (religious iconography), a ring of light around the image of a head
* ''Halo'' (franchise), a sci-fi video game series (2001–2021)
Arts and en ...
'' was honoured at the 43rd
National Film Awards
The National Film Awards are awards for artistic and technical merit given for "Excellence within the Cinema of India, Indian film industry". Established in 1954, it has been administered, along with the International Film Festival of India ...
as the Best Children's Film and Best Sound.
Santosh became the first
cinematographer
The cinematographer or director of photography (sometimes shortened to DP or DOP) is the person responsible for the recording of a film, television production, music video or other live-action piece. The cinematographer is the chief of the camera ...
in the Asia-Pacific region to join the
American Society of Cinematographers
The American Society of Cinematographers (ASC), founded in Hollywood in 1919, is a cultural, educational, and professional organization that is neither a labor union nor a guild. The society was organized to advance the science and art of cinem ...
. As a cinematographer, he has won five
National Film Awards
The National Film Awards are awards for artistic and technical merit given for "Excellence within the Cinema of India, Indian film industry". Established in 1954, it has been administered, along with the International Film Festival of India ...
– including four for
Best Feature Film Cinematography. As of 2014, he has received eleven
National Film Awards
The National Film Awards are awards for artistic and technical merit given for "Excellence within the Cinema of India, Indian film industry". Established in 1954, it has been administered, along with the International Film Festival of India ...
, and 21 international awards for his works. He was awarded the
Padma Shri
The Padma Shri (IAST: ''padma śrī'', lit. 'Lotus Honour'), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest Indian honours system, civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. In ...
in 2014 for his contributions to
Indian cinema
The cinema of India, consisting of motion pictures made by the Indian film industry, has had a large effect on world cinema since the second half of the 20th century. Indian cinema is made up of various film industries, each focused on p ...
.
In an interview, he said that some films he chose, not mostly because of the story but due to the very fact that he was comfortable with the director, a bigger pay check and out of friendship.
Documentary
His 2007 release ''
Prarambha
''Prarambha'' (translation: Beginning) is a 2007 Indian short film directed by Santosh Sivan and funded by Bill Gates foundation. The film stars Prabhu Deva, Skandha and B. Saroja Devi in the lead roles.
The movie premiered at Toronto Interna ...
'' won the
National Film Award for Best Educational/Motivational/Instructional Film at the
55th National Film Awards
The 55th National Film Awards, presented by Directorate of Film Festivals, the organisation set up by Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, India to felicitate the best of Indian Cinema released in the year 2007.
Three different committee ...
.
Filmography
As actor
Awards
National Film Awards
The National Film Awards are awards for artistic and technical merit given for "Excellence within the Cinema of India, Indian film industry". Established in 1954, it has been administered, along with the International Film Festival of India ...
Kerala State Film Award
The Kerala State Film Awards are the film awards for a cinema of kerala, motion picture made in Kerala. The awards started in 1969 by the Department of Cultural Affairs (Kerala), Department of Cultural Affairs, Government of Kerala and sin ...
s
* 1992 – ''Aham'' – Best Cinematography (Colour)
* 1996 – ''
Kalapani'' – Best Cinematography
* 2005 – ''
Anandabhadram'' – Best Cinematography
Tamil Nadu State Film Awards
Tamil Nadu State Film Awards were given for excellence in Cinema of Tamil Nadu, Tamil cinema in India. They were given annually to honour the best talents and provide encouragement and incentive to the South Indian film industry by the Governmen ...
* 1992 – ''
Roja'' – Best Cinematography
* 1996 – ''
Indira'' – Best Cinematography
* 2010 – ''
Raavanan'' – Best Cinematography
Filmfare Awards
The Filmfare Awards are annual awards that honour artistic and technical excellence in the Indian cinema.Al The Filmfare ceremony is one of the most famous film events in India. The awards were introduced by Filmfare magazine of The Times G ...
* 1995 – ''
Barsaat'' –
Best Cinematography
* 1998 – ''
Dil Se..'' – Best Cinematography
* 2000 – ''
Halo
HALO, halo, halos or haloes may refer to:
Most common meanings
* Halo (optical phenomenon)
* Halo (religious iconography), a ring of light around the image of a head
* ''Halo'' (franchise), a sci-fi video game series (2001–2021)
Arts and en ...
'' –
Best Film (Critics)
* 2001 – ''
Asoka
Ashoka, also known as Asoka or Aśoka ( ; , ; – 232 BCE), and popularly known as Ashoka the Great, was Emperor of Magadha from until his death in 232 BCE, and the third ruler from the Mauryan dynasty. His empire covered a large p ...
'' – Best Cinematography
Filmfare Awards South
* 1997 – ''
Iruvar
''Iruvar'' () is a 1997 Indian Tamil-language epic political drama film co-written, produced, and directed by Mani Ratnam. The film, inspired by the lives of M. G. Ramachandran, M. Karunanidhi and J. Jayalalithaa, is set against the backdrop ...
'' –
Best Cinematographer – South
* 1999 – ''
Vanaprastham'' –
Best Cinematographer – South
IIFA Awards
* 2002 – ''
Asoka
Ashoka, also known as Asoka or Aśoka ( ; , ; – 232 BCE), and popularly known as Ashoka the Great, was Emperor of Magadha from until his death in 232 BCE, and the third ruler from the Mauryan dynasty. His empire covered a large p ...
'' – IFFA Best Cinematographer Award
Star Screen Awards
The Screen Awards was an annual awards ceremony held in India, honouring professional excellence in Bollywood. The nomination and award selection was done by a panel of distinguished professionals from the industry. The awards were introduced ...
* 2005 – ''
Meenaxi: A Tale of Three Cities'' – Best Cinematography
Zee Cine Awards
The Zee Cine Award (ZCA) is an annual Indian awards ceremony for the Hindi film industry. They were instituted in November 1997 to award "Excellence in cinema – the democratic way".
They were first held in Mumbai until 2004, when the ZCA w ...
* 2005 – ''
Meenaxi: A Tale of Three Cities'' –
Best Cinematography
International
Won:
*1998 – ''
The Terrorist'' – Best Director at
Cairo International Film Festival
The Cairo International Film Festival is an annual internationally accredited film festival held in Cairo Opera House. It was established in 1976 and has taken place every year since its inception, except for 2011 and 2013, when it was cancelled ...
*1998 – ''The Terrorist'' – Golden Pyramid at
Cairo International Film Festival
The Cairo International Film Festival is an annual internationally accredited film festival held in Cairo Opera House. It was established in 1976 and has taken place every year since its inception, except for 2011 and 2013, when it was cancelled ...
*1999 – ''
Malli'' – Adult's Jury Award for Feature Film and Video (second place) at
Chicago International Film Festival
The Chicago International Film Festival is an annual film festival held every fall. Founded in 1964 by Michael Kutza, it is the longest-running competitive film festival in North America. Its logo is a stark, black and white close up of the comp ...
*1999 – ''The Terrorist'' – Grand Jury Prize at
Cinemanila International Film Festival
The Cinemanila International Film Festival is an annual film festival held in Manila, Philippines. It was founded by Filipino filmmaker Amable "Tikoy" Aguiluz in 1999. The focus of the festival is on the cinema of the Philippines as well as Sout ...
*1999 – ''The Terrorist'' – Lino Brocka Award for Best Film at
Cinemanila International Film Festival
The Cinemanila International Film Festival is an annual film festival held in Manila, Philippines. It was founded by Filipino filmmaker Amable "Tikoy" Aguiluz in 1999. The focus of the festival is on the cinema of the Philippines as well as Sout ...
*2000 – ''Malli''– Poznan Goat for Best Director at
18th Ale Kino! International Young Audience Film Festival
*2000 – ''The Terrorist'' – Panorama Jury Prize for Honorable Mention at
Sarajevo Film Festival
The Sarajevo Film Festival is the premier and largest film festival in Southeast Europe, and is one of the largest film festivals in Europe. It was founded in Sarajevo in 1995 during the siege of Sarajevo in the Bosnian War, and brings internatio ...
*2000 – ''Malli'' – Emerging Masters Showcase Award at
Seattle International Film Festival Awards
*2004 – ''Malli'' – Audience Award for Best Feature Film at
Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles
The Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles (IFFLA) is an annual film festival held in Los Angeles, California. Established by Christina Marouda in 2003, as a nonprofit organization devoted to paving the way for a greater appreciation of Indian cinema< ...
*2005 – ''Navarasa'' – Monaco International Film Festival (Monaco)
** Won – Best Supporting Actor – Bobby Darling
** Won – Angel Independent Spirit Award – ''Navarasa'' – Santosh Sivan
*2008 – ''
Before the Rains'' – Grand Award for Best Theatrical Feature at WorldFest Houston International Film Festival
*2008 – ''Before the Rains'' – Crystal Kodak award for best cinematography.
*2009 – ''Tahaan'' won a High Commendation in Children's Feature Film section at the 2009 Asia Pacific Screen Awards
Nominated:
*2001 – ''The Terrorist'' –
Independent Spirit Award
The Independent Spirit Awards, originally known as the FINDIE or Friends of Independents Awards, and later as the Film Independent Spirit Awards, are awards presented annually in Santa Monica, California, to independent filmmakers. Founded in ...
for Best Foreign Film
*2001 – ''The Terrorist'' – Phoenix Film Critics Society Award for Best Foreign Language Film
References
External links
Official websiteOfficial FacebookSantosh Sivan's blog on PassionForCinema.com*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sivan, Santosh
Loyola School, Thiruvananthapuram alumni
Malayalam film directors
Film directors from Thiruvananthapuram
1964 births
Living people
Film and Television Institute of India alumni
Tamil cinematographers
Kerala State Film Award winners
Malayalam film cinematographers
Tamil Nadu State Film Awards winners
Malayalam film producers
Best Cinematography National Film Award winners
Recipients of the Padma Shri in arts
Filmfare Awards South winners
Filmfare Awards winners
Film producers from Thiruvananthapuram
Screenwriters from Thiruvananthapuram
20th-century Indian dramatists and playwrights
21st-century Indian dramatists and playwrights
20th-century Indian photographers
21st-century Indian photographers
21st-century Indian male actors
Male actors from Thiruvananthapuram
Male actors in Malayalam cinema
Male actors in Tamil cinema
Indian male film actors
Cinematographers from Kerala
Directors who won the Best Children's Film National Film Award
Directors who won the Best Film on Environment Conservation/Preservation National Film Award