DessiePelloe5 at 00:55, 24 January 2026

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{{Short description|Indian film maker}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2022}}
{{Use Indian English|date=September 2019}}
{{Infobox person
|image = Biju viswanath.jpg
|imagesize =
|name = Biju Viswanath
|occupation = [[Film Director]], [[Screenwriter]], [[Director of Photography]], [[Film Editor]]
|website = {{URL|www.bijuviswanath.com}}
}}

'''Biju Viswanath''' is an Indian [[film director]], [[director of photography]], [[film editor]] and [[screenwriter]]. Across various genres, he has made numerous films in different languages, notably, English, Tamil, Malayalam, Irish, Swahili and Urdu.

He has also served as the jury member [[50th National Film Awards|50th National film Awards of India in 2003]] and [[Kerala State Film Awards|Kerala State Awards]] in 2003

==Career==
Viswanath's directorial debut ''A Voyage'' is based on the works of Indian writer [[M. T. Vasudevan Nair]], which was produced by veteran Malayalam screenwriter [[John Paul Puthusery]]. The movie premiered in [[Busan International Film Festival]], and won the gold medal for Best Short Film in India as well as an Honourable Mention in [[Zanzibar International Film Festival]].{{citation needed|date=October 2022}}

His Urdu film ''Parwaaz'' (The Flight) won Special Prize in Patras Film Festival.<ref name="independent">{{cite web |title=Awards of 8th International Panorama of Independent Filmakers{{sic|hide=y}} |url=http://www.independent.gr/awards2006-2008 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100411090953/http://www.independent.gr/awards2006-2008 |archivedate=2010-04-11 |accessdate=2010-06-16}}</ref>

His English feature film ''[[Déjà vu (2001 film)|Déjà vu]]'', which was produced by editor [[A. Sreekar Prasad]], featuring various British actors, had its international premiere at Busan International Film Festival in 2001<ref>{{Cite web |title=Busan International Film Festival |url=https://www.biff.kr/ |access-date=2022-10-08 |website=Busan International Film Festival}}</ref> and at the 54th [[Locarno International Film Festival]].<ref>{{Cite web |title='Deja Vu' selected for Locarno festival |url=https://zeenews.india.com/entertainment/musicworld/paris-still-searching-record-label-for-sophomore-album_17414.html/amp |access-date=2022-10-08 |website=zeenews.india.com}}</ref> Another feature film of his,''Viola,'' won Golden palm in the Mexico International Film festival.<ref name=":1">[http://www.mexicofilmfestival.com/ Mexico International Film Festival and Awards] Retrieved 2017-12-30.</ref>

Viswanath made three Irish films based on the works on the poet writer [[Celia de Fréine]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Project |first=Happiness |date=2008-03-23 |title=Biju Viswanath's Irish Film based on Poems |url=https://njisacf.wordpress.com/2008/03/23/biju-vishwanaths-irish-film-based-on-poems/ |access-date=2022-10-08 |website=Bioscope |language=en}}</ref>

His first American feature film ''Marathon'' is based on the true story of American poet [[William Morris Meredith, Jr.]] Viswanath won two awards for the film: Best Cinematography and Best Screenplay in New York Independent Film Festival.<ref name=independent/>

Viswanath's venture in Swahili is ''Shadow Tree,'' a film which was shot in [[Zanzibar|Zanzibar, Tanzania]]. The film won the Special Award in Skepto Film Festival in Italy.<ref name="skepto2">{{Cite web |title=Shadow tree | Skepto International Film Festival |url=http://www.skepto.net/en/film/shadow-tree}}</ref>

His Indian Tamil-language feature film ''[[Orange Mittai]]'' was co-written and produced by [[Vijay Sethupathi]].<ref>{{cite news |author=Rinku Gupta |date=2014-02-11 |title=Vijay Sethupathi's Maiden Production gets International Director |work=[[The New Indian Express]] |url=http://www.newindianexpress.com/entertainment/tamil/Vijay-Sethupathis-Maiden-Production-gets-International-Director/2014/02/11/article2049319.ece |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140305092118/http://www.newindianexpress.com/entertainment/tamil/Vijay-Sethupathis-Maiden-Production-gets-International-Director/2014/02/11/article2049319.ece |url-status=dead |archive-date=5 March 2014 |accessdate=2017-12-30}}</ref> Another Tamil drama film ''[[Chennai Palani Mars]]'' won two awards in USA: Grand Jury prize at the Los Angeles Motion Picture Film Festival<ref name="indiaglitz">{{cite web |date=23 July 2019 |title=Vijay Sethupathi's next movie wins International awards! – Tamil News |url=https://www.indiaglitz.com/vijay-sethupathi-production-chennai-palani-mars-wins-awards-tamil-news-240894 |accessdate=2021-02-27 |website=IndiaGlitz.com}}</ref> and the Best Narrative Feature at the Pinnacle Film Awards.<ref name="indiaglitz" />

==Filmography==
=== Feature films ===
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size:100%"
!Year
!Film
!Director
!Cinematographer
!Editor
!Language
!class=unsortable| Notes
|-
|1995||''Peter Scott''
|{{yes}}
|
| ||[[Malayalam]]||
|-
|2001||''[[Déjà vu (2001 film)|Déjà vu]]''
|{{yes}}
|{{yes}}
| ||English||<ref>{{Cite web |date=2001-12-13 |title=Indiainfo: Malayalam: Movie Review -An Indian director's experiment in world cinema |url=http://movies.indiainfo.com/malayalam/reviews/index.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20011213224551/http://movies.indiainfo.com/malayalam/reviews/index.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=2001-12-13 |access-date=2024-02-16 }}</ref>
|-
|2002||''[[Phantom (2002 film)|Phantom]]''
|
|{{yes}}
| ||[[Malayalam]]||
|-
|2005
| ''[[Sulanga]]''
|
|{{yes}} ||
| Sinhala ||
|-
| rowspan="2" |2006
|''Grand Festival''
|{{yes}}
|
| ||Hindi<br>English||
|-
|''[[Poi (film)|Poi]]''
|
|{{yes}} ||
| Tamil ||
|-
|2010||''Marathon''
|{{yes}}
|
| || rowspan="3" |English||
|-
|2011||''Viola''
|{{yes}}
|
| ||
|-
| 2012||''The Nail''
|{{yes}}
|
| ||
|-
| 2013||''Mafiosi''
|{{yes}}
|
| ||Italian||
|-
|2015||''[[Orange Mittai]]''
|{{yes}}
|{{yes}}
|{{yes}} || rowspan="2" |Tamil||
|-
|2019||''[[Chennai Palani Mars]]''
|{{yes}}
|{{yes}}
|{{yes}} ||
|-
|2021||''Transcendental Layover''
|{{yes}}
|
| || rowspan="3" |English||
|-
| rowspan="2" |2022||''How to make F**kd Up Movies''
|{{yes}}
|
| ||
|-
|''Covid Karma''
|{{yes}}
|
| ||
|-
| 2025 || ''Pakuthi Kadal Kadannu''
| {{yes}}
|
| || Malayalam ||
|}

=== Short films ===

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size:90%"
!Year
!Film
!Language
!class=unsortable| Notes
|-
|1998||''A Voyage''||Silent||
|-
|2004||''Second Coming''|| rowspan="3" |English||
|-
|2005||''Zodiac Tales''||
|-
|2006||''Sign of Four''||
|-
|2007||''Lorg''||[[Irish language|Irish]]||
|-
| rowspan="2" | 2008 || ''Parwaaz''||[[Urdu]]||
|-
|''Rian''||Irish||
|-
|2009||''Oshizemi''||[[Japanese language|Japanese]]||
|-
|2013
|''Shadow Tree''||[[Swahili language|Swahili]]||
|-
| 2014||''Thief and Wind Chime''||[[Tamil language|Tamil]]||
|-
|2017||''Living is Easy''||English||
|-
|}

=== Television ===

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size:90%"
!Year
!Film
!Language
!class=unsortable| Notes
|-
|2000||''O. Henry Stories''||[[Malayalam]]||
|-
|}

==Awards==

* 2009: Best Cinematography at New York City International Film Festival: ''Marathon''{{citation needed|date=October 2022}}
* 2011: Golden Palm Award at [[Mexico City International Film Festival|Mexico International Film Festival]]: ''Viola''{{citation needed|date=October 2022}}
* 2014: SIGNIS Award for Best Short Film at [[Zanzibar International Film Festival]] and Avant-guarde & Experimental Special Award at Skepto Film Festival: ''Shadow Tree''{{citation needed|date=October 2022}}
* 2019: Gold Award for Best Feature Film at Pinnacle Film Awards: ''Chennai Palani Mars''{{citation needed|date=October 2022}}
* 2022: Best of Show and Best Feature Documentary at Pinnacle Film Awards: ''How to make F**ked Up Movies''{{citation needed|date=October 2022}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{Official website|www.bijuviswanath.com}}
*{{IMDb name|id=1078209|name=Biju Viswanath}}
* https://www.deccanchronicle.com/150802/entertainment-mollywood/article/i-don%E2%80%99t-make-films-film-festivals-biju-viswanath
* https://www.nowrunning.com/news/malayalam/raghuvaran-could-have-become-an-international-star-biju-viswanath/14518/story.htm
* https://www.theindiapost.com/nation/chandigarh/popularizing-literature-cinema-biju-viswanath/
* https://www.hindustantimes.com/chandigarh/cinema-in-write-direction/story-0z6qITdR25mqYM6v3G9AOO.html
* https://www.behindwoods.com/tamil-director/biju-viswanath/orange-mittai-director-biju-viswanaths-interview-on-the-film-vijay-sethupathi-and-many-more.html
* https://www.tribuneindia.com/2013/20130303/ttlife1.htm#2
{{Biju Viswanath}}
{{authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Viswanath, Biju}}

[[Category:English-language film directors]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Malayalam film directors]]
[[Category:Malayalam film cinematographers]]
[[Category:Indian male screenwriters]]
[[Category:Year of birth missing (living people)]]

Biju Viswanath - Revision history

DessiePelloe5 at 00:55, 24 January 2026