L Murugan inaugurates MIFF, filmmaker Subbiah Nallamuthu receives lifetime achievement award

MIFF was launched in 1990 is being organised biennially by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and executed by the National Film Development Corporation (NFDC), the festival celebrates documentaries, short fiction and animation films.

At the opening ceremony, renowned wildlife filmmaker Subbiah Nallamuthu was named the recipient of the V Shantaram Lifetime Achievement Award, instituted in the memory of the legendary filmmaker.

Nallamuthu, best known for his tiger-centric documentaries including Tiger Dynasty, Tiger Queen, and The World’s Most Famous Tiger, received a cash prize of Rs 10 lakh, a trophy and a citation.

An alumnus of the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), the filmmaker gained prominence with his work on “Living on the Edge“, India’s longest-running award-winning environment series. His expertise extends to his tenure with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) as a high-speed cameraman.

Nallamuthu expressed gratitude to the government and the jury for the honour. “It has been a long journey. I dedicate the award to my parents and family who supported me,” he said.

Film personalities like Aanand L Rai, Madhur Bhandarkar, Divya Dutta, Randeep Hooda, Abhishek Banerjee, Sonali Kulkarni, Sharad Kelkar, Taha Shah Badussha, Rahul Rawail, Vineet Singh, Avinash Tiwary, and Adil Hussain also attended the MIFF opening ceremony.