Cannes 2024: Preity Zinta presents Pierre Angenieux ExcelLens award to Santosh Sivan

The event took place on Friday at the iconic Palais de Festivals, celebrating the art of cinematography and the profound impact of Indian cinema on the global stage

In a dazzling ceremony at the 77th Cannes Film Festival, Indian cinematographer Santosh Sivan was awarded the prestigious Pierre Angenieux ExcelLens in Cinematography honour. Actor Preity Zinta presented the award.

The event took place on Friday at the iconic Palais de Festivals, celebrating the art of cinematography and the profound impact of Indian cinema on the global stage. Draped in an elegant-toned pink saree, Preity Zinta graced the stage to present the award to Sivan, her longtime collaborator.

Their professional journey began with Mani Ratnam's 1998 romantic drama Dil Se, where Sivan's cinematography beautifully captured Zinta's debut performance. Their reunion at Cannes highlights a significant milestone in their careers, as they are set to work together again on the upcoming period drama Lahore 1947, directed by Rajkumar Santoshi.

The Pierre Angenieux ExcelLens in Cinematography award, introduced in 2013, honours outstanding contributions to the field of cinematography. Santosh Sivan's recognition is particularly noteworthy as he is the first Asian to receive this accolade, joining the ranks of legendary cinematographers like Edward Lachman, Agnes Godard, Barry Ackroyd, and Roger Deakins.

Reflecting on his journey, Sivan expressed gratitude and nostalgia, recalling his early use of Angenieux lenses in the film Raakh (1989), starring Aamir Khan. In an interview with Variety, he stated, "This award means a lot to me as previous recipients include DoPs I admire, including Zsigmond and Deakins."

Sivan's illustrious career spans decades, with more than 55 feature films and numerous documentaries to his credit. His notable collaborations with director Mani Ratnam on films such as Roja, Thalapathi, Dil Se, and Iruvar have left an indelible mark on Indian cinema.

His cinematic artistry also extends to international projects like Gurinder Chadha's Bride and Prejudice and MF Hussain's Meenaxi. Discussing his artistic philosophy, Sivan eloquently described, "For me, light and shade is the melody, and the composition and movement of the camera is the rhythm. If I find that these two things are there in a shot, then I'm most excited, I like that." Sivan also spoke about his transition from celluloid to digital cinematography, marking this shift with his directorial venture Urumi (2011) and fully embracing digital with Thuppakki (2012).