Lenin M. Sivam

Last updated

Lenin M. Sivam
Born (1974-06-22) 22 June 1974 (age 49)
Jaffna, Sri Lanka
Occupation(s)Film director, producer, writer
Years active2006–present
Notable work Roobha, A GUN & A RING, and 1999

Lenin M. Sivam is a Canadian filmmaker.

Life and career

Born in Jaffna, Sri Lanka, he moved to Toronto, Ontario, Canada in 1991, when he was 17. [1] "His father V.M.L. Sivam was a filmmaker too, assistant director in one of Sri Lanka's first Tamil-language films, then (under the screen name Jeyakanth) playing the male lead in another, Meenavapenn." [2]

Contents

His first short, A Few Good People, won the Best Short Film of the Year Award from the Independent Art Film Society in 2006. [3]

After several years of making short films, Sivam first achieved international recognition with his feature film debut 1999 in 2009, which won several awards.

Sivam then directed A Gun & a Ring (2013), which was well received both critically and commercially and made its world premiere at the Shanghai International Film Festival in June 2013; it was shortlisted for the Golden Goblet Award.

Sivam's next film, Roobha (2018), [4] [5] was well-received in various film festivals, [6] including Goa, Cambridge and Montreal. [7]

He also directed The Protector , a thriller, screened at various festivals. [8] [9] [10] [11]

Filmography

Related Research Articles

The year 1974 in film involved some significant events.

<i>Anbe Sivam</i> 2003 Indian Tamil-language comedy-drama film by Sundar C.

Anbe Sivam is a 2003 Indian Tamil-language slice-of-life drama film directed by Sundar C. and produced by K. Muralitharan, V. Swaminathan and G. Venugopal under the banner of Lakshmi Movie Makers. The film was written by Kamal Haasan, and Madhan provided the dialogues. Anbe Sivam stars Haasan, Madhavan and Kiran Rathod, with Nassar, Santhana Bharathi, Seema and Uma Riyaz Khan playing supporting characters. The film tells the story of Nallasivam and Anbarasu, two men of contrasting personalities who undertake an unexpected journey from Bhubaneswar to Chennai.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cinema of Sri Lanka</span> Filmmaking industry in Sri Lanka

Sri Lankan cinema encompasses the Sri Lankan film industry. It is a fledgling industry that has struggled to find a footing since its inauguration in 1947 with Kadawunu Poronduwa produced by S. M. Nayagam of Chitra Kala Movietone. Sri Lankan films are usually made in Sinhala and Tamil, the dominant languages of the country.

Nagulapati Srinivasa Chakravarthy, known professionally as J. D. Chakravarthy, is an Indian actor, filmmaker, screenwriter and musician known for his work primarily with Telugu cinema in addition to Hindi, Tamil, Malayalam, and Kannada films. Chakravarthy made his screen debut with the Telugu film, Siva, an action blockbuster directed by Ram Gopal Varma, featured at the 12th IFFI. He subsequently made his Bollywood debut with the remake of the same film titled Shiva (1990). He then starred in the blockbuster Satya, featured in the Indian panorama section at the 29th IFFI, and was listed among CNN-IBN's 100 greatest Indian films of all time. Chakravarthy received the Screen Award Special Jury Award.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tamil cinema</span> Indian Tamil-language film industry

Tamil cinema, also known as Kollywood, is the segment of Indian cinema dedicated to the production of motion pictures in the Tamil language, a widely spoken in the state of Tamil Nadu. It is nicknamed Kollywood, a portmanteau of the names Kodambakkam, a neighbourhood in Chennai, and Hollywood. The first Tamil silent film, Keechaka Vadham, was directed by R. Nataraja Mudaliar in 1918. The first Tamil talking feature film, Kalidas, a multilingual directed by H. M. Reddy was released on 31 October 1931, less than seven months after India's first talking motion picture Alam Ara.

Vinayagar Sundar Vel, known professionally as Sundar C., is an Indian film director, actor and producer. He has directed over 34 films in Tamil and acted in 17 movies as the protagonist. He remains one of the successful and most wanted director in the Industry for the last 3 decades.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ameer (director)</span> Indian film director and actor

Ameer Sultan is an Indian film director, producer and actor, working in the Tamil film industry.

Sri Lankan Tamil cinema is a small filmmaking industry based in Sri Lanka, which has made under 100 Tamil language films as of 2013. it is separate from its Indian counterpart, the Tamil cinema of Kodambakkam in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, as many Sri Lankan Tamil actors work in Sri Lankan films or independent Tamil films overseas, although a few noted Tamil actors in India were born in Sri Lanka. Sri Lankan Tamil cinema's growth has largely been stalled due to the Sri Lankan Civil War.

<i>1999</i> (film) 2009 film by Lenin M. Sivam

1999 is a 2009 Canadian crime drama film written and directed by Lenin M. Sivam. It had its world premiere at the 2009 Vancouver International Film Festival (VIFF).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boodee Keerthisena</span>

Vishvanath Buddhika Keerthisena, also known as Boodee Keerthisena, is a Sri Lankan filmmaker. He began his career drawing comics before moving into painting, dress design, and visual arts. He moved into music in the late 1980s, and performed in a band called "Boo-Dee and the Woo-Zees" (1986–1992) as the lead singer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leena Manimekalai</span> Film maker, poet, and actor

Leena Manimekalai is an Indian filmmaker, poet and an actor. Her works include five published poetry anthologies and several films in genres, documentary, fiction and experimental poem films. She has been recognised with participation, mentions and best film awards in many international and national film festivals.

<i>A Gun & a Ring</i> Canadian film

A Gun & a Ring is a 2013 Canadian drama film written and directed by Lenin M. Sivam. The film explores the harsh realities faced by different generations of Toronto Sri Lankans. It was nominated for Golden Goblet Award at the 16th Shanghai International Film Festival. It was also officially selected for the 37th Montreal World Film Festival (WFF) took place 22 August – 2 September 2013 to present under "Focus on World Cinema".

Roobha is a 2018 Canadian film directed and written by Lenin M. Sivam. It was produced by Warren Sinnathamby under the banner of Next Productions and stars Amrit Sandhu and Antonythasan Jesuthasan. It is based on a story by Antonythasan Jesuthasan, who writes under the pseudonym Shoba Sakthi. The film explores the harsh realities faced by a young South-Asian trans-woman who struggles to make a living in Toronto after she is ostracized by her family.

<i>Anbirkiniyal</i> 2021 film by Gokul

Anbirkiniyal is a 2021 Indian Tamil-language survival thriller film directed by Gokul and produced by Arun and Alankar Pandian. A remake of the Malayalam film Helen (2019), it stars Arun's daughter Keerthi as a woman who accidentally gets locked in a freezer room and fights to stay alive. The film began production in February 2020, and was released in theatres on 5 March 2021 to positive reviews.

For the Canadian Paralympic athlete, see Chelsea Clark.

Contributions to popular culture involving direct reference to the Sri Lankan Tamil community in Indian cinema are listed below. All communities that speak Tamil and originally came from Sri Lanka are included. Tamils of Sri Lanka today are a trans-national minority and are found across the globe. While most films on the topic are made in Tamil cinema, there has also been Malayalam and Hindi content on the area.

The Protector is 2022 Canadian thriller film written and directed by Lenin M. Sivam and produced by Munire Armstrong.

Ravi Atchuthan is a Canadian filmmaker, cinematographer, and editor. He emerged as one of the pioneers of the Tamil-Canadian film industry with the release of his first film Uyrie Uyrie in 1996. Since then, he has directed 8 films and been the cinematographer for 12 films and the editor for 10 films. In 2023, Ravi Atchuthan was awarded the Pioneer Canadian Tamil Filmmaker award by the multicultural organization 'Heritage Beyond Boarders' for his contributions in the Tamil-Canadian film industry.

References

  1. Kumar, Biswal, Santosh; Sankar, Kusuma, Krishna; Sulagna, Mohanty (26 June 2020). Handbook of Research on Social and Cultural Dynamics in Indian Cinema. IGI Global. ISBN   978-1-7998-3513-4.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  2. Adler, Mike (25 September 2009). "New film to put spotlight on Tamil gang violence". Toronto.com. Retrieved 4 March 2024.
  3. Mistry, Prinesh (29 April 2019). "Roobha". London Indian Film Festival. Retrieved 4 March 2024.
  4. "BBC Asian Network - Ashanti Omkar, Lenin M Sivam". BBC. Retrieved 4 March 2024.
  5. Toronto.com, Mike Adler (2 October 2018). "Roobha, latest film from Scarborough's Lenin Sivam, opens Reelworld". Toronto.com. Retrieved 4 March 2024.
  6. "Full house for 'A Gun & A Ring' in London | Tamil Guardian". www.tamilguardian.com. Retrieved 4 March 2024.
  7. Shrijith, Sajin (25 October 2018). "Lenin M Sivam's 'Roobha': A Canadian film on transgender stigma". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 4 March 2024.
  8. "Fantasia Festival | The Protector". Fantasia Festival. Retrieved 4 March 2024.
  9. Mendelsohn, Jon (29 July 2022). "REVIEW: Fantasia 2022's The Protector Offers a Unique Theme With Routine Execution". CBR. Retrieved 11 January 2023.
  10. Hopewell, John (19 July 2022). "Alarm Pictures Closes North America on Lenin M. Sivam's 'The Protector' (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 4 March 2024.
  11. "The Protector: A Thrilling Journey of Hindu Mythology and Suspense on Amazon Prime". TamilCulture.com. Retrieved 4 March 2024.
  12. Shankar, Settu (15 February 2010). "Canadian Tamil film 1999 won in Norway festival". OneIndia. Archived from the original on 13 July 2012. Retrieved 29 March 2010.