The upcoming 20th edition of
the International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK) will pay homage to the late
great filmmaker and cinematographer Aloysius Vincent, better known as Vincent
Master (1928-2015).
A
selection of his classic works will be screened at festival venues. National
Award-winning director Hariharan, who will curate the tribute, called it
“timely and appropriate”.
“He was a doyen of the Malayalam and Indian
film industry,” Hariharan said. “Every filmmaker, art director, cameraman and
technician of my vintage looked up to him. Everyone that followed us owes him a
debt. He was a true pioneer.”
“He
was a true maestro who would create brilliant visuals and special effects with
just his simple camera by shooting in a variety of angles, lights, positions
and frames.”
Hariharan
recalls that it was Vincent Master who brought in transformative changes – like
doing away with artificial lighting – to the Indian filmmaking industry,
contributing immensely to the evolution of cinema and mise-en-scene from its
traditional theatrical roots and portrayal.
“He revealed
the importance of photography in movies through a fresh, realistic approach that
is very evident in his acclaimed works in all the south Indian languages and
Bollywood.”
From
the mid-1960s on, Vincent Master directed some 30 movies in Tamil, Telugu,
Hindi and Malayalam, including such landmarks as Bhargavi Nilayam (1964) and Murappennu
(1965).
“Vincent master was also a good teacher,”
Hariharan said. “He was very kind to spend time with young directors and
trained many renowned cinematographers, directors and art directors that
followed.” “As such, he was the inspiration for a generation
to learn and practice the methods and nuances of cinema. He laid the
foundations and benchmarks for what Malayalam cinema is today. For this alone,
he deserves our eternal gratitude and acknowledgements.”
IFFK
2015, Kerala’s premier film festival, will run from December 4 -11.
