Acclaimed cinematographer Santosh Sivan has become the first Asian to be awarded the prestigious Pierre Angénieux Tribute award at the 2024 Cannes film festival.
The honour has been conferred in recognition of his 'career and exceptional quality of work', said an official communication.
Santosh Sivan had expressed his delight at receiving the award to The New Indian Express. Bollywood star Preity Zinta was on stage in Cannes to hand it over to him.
Malayalam superstar Mohanlal was among the first to congratulate the ace cameraman. "Excited to witness the historic moment at the Cannes Film Festival 2024. Congratulations to our Santosh Sivan for being selected for the Pierre Angénieux Award," he said.
Santosh Sivan is helming the cinematography in Mohanlal's directorial debut Barroz.
Pierre Angénieux, after whom the award is named, was one of the inventors of the modern zoom lenses.
In the past, the award was given to legends like Philippe Rousselot, Vilmos Zsigmond, Roger Deakins, Peter Suschitzky, Chistopher Doyle, Edward Lachman, Bruno Delbonnel, Agnes Godard, Darius Khondji and Barry Ackroyd.
On May 23, a masterclass had been organised where the master technician had shared his experience with the younger generation.
An internationally acclaimed cinematographer, Santosh Sivan has worked in movies like Dil Se, Roja, Iruvar and Kaalapani.
He is currently directing a Malayalam film titled Kaliyugam and Moha, an English film.
It was in 2013 that Cannes started giving the Pierre Angénieux Tribute to cinematographers.