http://us.rediff.com/movies/2005/sep/05adoor.htm


Legendary filmmaker Adoor Gopalakrishnan has been chosen for this year's Babasaheb Phalke Award, in recognition of his vast contribution to cinema.

A three-time National Award winner and a Padma Shri, some of Adoor's most famous films include Swayamvaram, Chemmeen, Elipathayam and Nizhalkuthu.

The Dadasaheb Phalke award, instituted in 1969 -- the birth centenary of the man considered to be the Father of Indian Cinema -- is given out every year by the Indian government in recognition of lifetime contribution to Indian cinema.

Some of the previous recipients of the prestigious award are: Mrinal Sen (2003); Hrishikesh Mukherjee (1999); Sivaji Ganesan (1996); and Satyajit Ray (1984).



Adoor's oeuvre

Serious cinema is not dead

I am the creator and the critic

I don't make films on everyday, ordinary problems

Nizhalkuthu is a masterwork <-- i am kicking myself for not seeing this one - i was in madras when this played and i "choose" to ignore it

Chemmeen was directed by Ramu Kariat.

From SIFY

The living legend of Malayalam cinema!

By Moviebuzz
Tuesday, 06 September , 2005, 10:25

Adoor Gopalakrishnan is undoubtedly India’s greatest living director. The avant-garde director has been awarded the Dada Saheb Phalke Award by the Government of India for his lifetime contribution to Indian cinema.

Adoor, as he is affectionately referred to, is the youngest ever recipient of the award at 64 and perhaps the only film maker who is still active in the field at the time of the award. A 1962 batch student from the prestigious Poona Film Institute, Adoor has won four National Awards for Best Director and in 1984 he was conferred the Padmasri.

In a career spanning 36 years, Adoor has made nine films. They are-

Swayamvaran (1972)
Kodiyettam (1977)
Elipathayam (1981)
Mukhamukham (1984)
Anantharam (1987)
Mathilukal (1989)
Vidheyan (1993)
Kathapurushan (1995)
Nizhalkuthu (2002)

His “Elipathayam” has won the British Film Institute award for the most original and imaginative film of 1982. Adoor is also the only Indian director to have been awarded the International Film Critics prize five times. Adoor was also the pioneer in introducing the film society movement in Kerala through ‘Chalachitra’ in the 70’s which popularized new-age films that created a movement in the state.

It was a double whammy for Adoor, as he became a grandfather of a baby boy five days before he got the news that he was the recipient of the prestigious Dada Saheb Phalke Award. His only daughter Aswathy is an IPS officer and wife Sunanda is a house wife.

Adoor said that he considered the award as a great recognition. Said Adoor: "It is an unexpected honour to get the Phalke Award at a relatively young age. It makes me all the more happy, when I think about the greats who have recieved the award before me, like my guru Mrinal Sen".

Have any of you seen his films? I can't find them at all.

Not me and from what I know none of his films are available anywhere ( legally) - that said I have some leads , will post when I actually have them in my hand ( prob without subtitles though )

Awesome! I never thought I'd get to see Nizhalkutthu. I hope this is good quality and full aspect ratio (and not PAL to NTSC).

Seriously this is the best news i have heard in a long time - Thank you for pointing it out.

It appears to be a FACETS release and that is not good news as far as quality of the DVD goes ( case in point - their latest Hemant release ) but still something is better than nothing

http://www.facets.org/asticat?function= ... tures.html