CHENNAI : Veteran documentary filmmaker S Krishnaswamy has been awarded the Dr V Shantaram Lifetime Achievement Award, for his invaluable contribution to non-fiction filmmaking.
The award was given by Union Minister of State for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Babul Supriyo, at the 16th edition of Mumbai International Film Festival for Documentary, Shorts and Animation Films - MIFF 2020.
Krishnaswamy said, "It is a great privilege. I made a four-hour film on Indian history, after working for almost 15 years, with no financial backing. It traces Indian history from more than 5,000 years ago, to 1976. Titled as ‘From Indus Valley to Indira Gandhi’, I could not find anyone to distribute it, until Warner Brothers came."
"I was attending the world premiere in 1976, when I got a message that my film was discussed at the Parliament that day. I messaged the then I&B Minister LK Advani, expressing gratitude, and said that it would have been more beneficial for parliamentarians to watch it. He organised a show for himself and a few colleagues," Krishnaswamy said expressing gratitude to Films Division, Government of India and to film industry.
Krishnaswamy has more than 200 non-fiction films to his credit and a dozen television serials. His 18-episode serial Indian Imprints, telecasted in 2009, received an overwhelming response.Dr V Shantaram Lifetime Achievement Award is presented in MIFF’s every edition, for a filmmaker’s contribution to documentary films. It carries Rs 10 lakh cash award, a trophy and a citation.