Lijo Jose Pellissery

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Lijo Jose Pellissery
Lijo at IFFI 2018.jpg
Pellissery at IFFI 2018
Born (1978-09-18) 18 September 1978 (age 45)
Chalakudy, Kerala, India
Other namesLJP
Education
Occupations
  • Filmmaker
  • actor
Years active2010–present
SpouseJasmine James
Parent
Awards

Lijo Jose Pellissery (born 18 September 1978) is an Indian filmmaker and actor who works in Malayalam cinema. His best works include Amen (2013), Angamaly Diaries (2017), [1] Ee.Ma.Yau. (2018), Jallikattu (2019), Churuli (2021), and Nanpakal Nerathu Mayakkam (2023). [2] [3]

Contents

He is a recipient of the Best Director Award at the 48th Kerala State Film Awards for Ee.Ma.Yau. , Best Director Award at the 50th Kerala State Film Awards for Jallikattu , Best Film Award at the 44th Kerala Film Critics Association Awards for Jallikattu and twice recipient of Silver Peacock-Best Director at the 49th International Film Festival of India and 50th International Film Festival of India for his films Ee.Ma.Yau. and Jallikattu respectively. [4] He also received the Silver Crow Pheasant Award at the International Film Festival of Kerala 2018. [5]

Pellissery made his debut in 2010 with the crime film Nayakan and followed it up with the crime-drama City of God (2011) and the black comedy satire Amen (2013), the last mentioned, a commercial success at the Kerala box office. His fourth film, Double Barrel , an experimental film received only mixed reviews. His fifth film was again a crime-gangster film Angamaly Diaries (2017), starring almost 90 new actors, which preceded Ee.Ma.Yau., released in 2018. His movie Jallikkattu premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival. In 2020, Jallikkattu was selected as India's official entry for Best International Feature Film at the 93rd Academy Awards.

Early life

Pellissery was born on 18 September 1978 in Chalakudy in Thrissur district of the south Indian state of Kerala to Lilly and Jose Pellissery, a known film and theatre actor and a winner of a state award for best stage actor. [6] [7] His schooling was at Carmel Higher Secondary School, Chalakudy and, after graduating from the Union Christian College, Aluva, he earned a master's degree in business administration from the Indian Institute of Plantation Management, Bangalore. [8] [9] [10]

Career

By the time Lijo Pellissery was born, Jose Pellissery who co-owned a theatre group by Sarathy Theatres, [7] was active in Malayalam films and this gave the young Lijo an early grounding in films. [11] His career started as an assistant to Manoj Pillai, an ad filmmaker, and Pellissery soon started making short films of his own. One of his films, 3, was one of three films shortlisted for the best film award at the PIX Short Film Festival 2007. [12] He debuted as a feature film director in 2010 with Nayakan , which narrated the story of a Kathakali artist who joined the underworld to take revenge on those who killed his family. Though the film was critically acclaimed, it failed at the box office. [13] [14] [15] [16] His next venture, City of God , one of the early New Generation films of Malayalam cinema [17] and a multi-starrer featuring Indrajith Sukumaran, Prithviraj Sukumaran, Parvathy, Swetha Menon and Rima Kallingal used hyperlink cinema as its narrative structure and was a critical success [18] but, again failed miserably at the box office; it was pulled from cinemas just days after its release. [19]

It took another two years before he came up with his third movie, Amen , in 2013, which had Indrajith Sukumaran, Fahad Fasil, Swathi Reddy and Kalabhavan Mani in the lead roles and the movie succeeded at the box office while drawing good critical response. [20] [21] After a gap of almost two years, Pellissery released his fourth film, Double Barrel , a comic thriller, with Prithviraj Sukumaran, Indrajith Sukumaran, Arya, Sunny Wayne and Asif Ali in the lead roles. However, the film did not succeed critically or commercially. [22] The next project, Angamaly Diaries , a black comedy cloaked in a gangster plot that revolves around the locale of Angamaly, was scripted by popular actor, Chemban Vinod Jose. [23] The film, made on a small budget of ₹30 million, [24] was received well at the box office and drew critical acclaim; Anurag Kashyap opined that Angamaly Diaries was his film of the year. [25] [26] Ee.Ma.Yau. , his next film based on a satire written by P. F. Mathews [27] and with his regular composer, Prashant Pillai, scoring the music, [28] was premiered on 30 November 2017 [29] but the release was delayed due to undisclosed reasons. [30] Before it was released on 4 May 2018, the film received the Kerala State Film Award for Best Director at the 48th Kerala State Film Awards. [4] The film also won him the Silver Peacock Award for the best director at the 49th International Film Festival of India (IFFI), 2018, which was held in Goa in November 2018 [31] (Chemban Vinod Jose, the protagonist of the film, also received the Silver Peacock Award for the best actor. [32] ) followed by the Sinema Zetu International Film Festival Award for Best Direction. [33]

Filmmaking style

Pellissery often uses non-linear style of narrative and long takes. [17] His early films had established actors in the lead roles but, Angamaly Diaries marked a change where almost the entire cast were newcomers with 86 new actors making their debut, and subsequently accomplishing a triumph in the form of a 11-minute uninterrupted long take in the climax. [34] [35] Following the similar technique, Jallikattu has at least 6 long takes and have brought in over thousand extras for the climax sequence. [36]

Filmography

List of Lijo Jose Pellissery film credits
YearTitleCredited asNotes
DirectorProducerActing Roles
2010 Nayakan YesNoSteve
2011 City of God YesNoNo
2011 Bombay March 12 NoNoTerrorist
2013 Amen YesNoNo
2014 Sapthamashree Thaskaraha NoNoPriest
2015 Double Barrel YesCo-producerNoCo-produced with August Cinema; Also writer
2016 Aakashvani NoNoThomas Kuruvila
2016 Darvinte Parinamam NoNoHimself
2017 Angamaly Diaries YesNoNo
2017 Oru Cinemakkaran NoNoHimself
2017 Mayaanadhi NoNoDirector Len Prasad
2018 Ee.Ma.Yau. YesNoNo
2018 Swathanthryam Ardharathriyil NoCo-producerLawyer Tony MattathilCo-produced with BC Joshi and Chemban Vinod Jose
2018 Padayottam NoNoGangster Britto
2019 Jallikkattu YesCo-producerNoCo-produced with O.Thomas Panicker and Chemban Vinod Jose
2019 Thamaasha NoCo-producerNoCo-produced with Sameer Thahir, Shyju Khalid and Chemban Vinod Jose
2021 Churuli YesCo-producerNoCo-produced with O.Thomas Panicker and Chemban Vinod Jose
2023 Nanpakal Nerathu Mayakkam YesCo-producerNoCo-produced with Mammootty
2024 Malaikottai Vaaliban YesCo-producerNo [37]

Awards

List of Lijo Jose Pellissery awards
YearAwardVenueFilm
2013Best Director Asianet Film Awards Amen
2017 Kerala State Film Award for Best Director 48th Kerala State Film Awards Ee.Ma.Yau.
2017Best Director Cinema Paradiso Club Award Angamaly Diaries
2018Silver Peacock Award for Best Director 49th International Film Festival of India Ee.Ma.Yau.
2018Silver Crow Pheasant Award for the Best Director International Film Festival of Kerala Ee.Ma.Yau.
2018 Filmfare Award for Best Director – Malayalam Filmfare Awards South Ee.Ma.Yau.
2019Silver Peacock Award for Best Director 50th International Film Festival of India Jallikattu [38]
Best Director (special mention) International Film Festival of Kerala Jallikattu
Best DirectorSinema Zetu International Film Festival Award SZIFF Ee.Ma.Yau.
Kerala State Film Award for Best Director 50th Kerala State Film Awards Jallikattu
2023 Kerala State Film Award for Best Film 53rd Kerala State Film Awards Nanpakal Nerathu Mayakkam

Related Research Articles

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Nayakan (transl. Hero) is a 2010 Indian Malayalam-language neo-noir crime film directed by Lijo Jose Pellissery and written by P. S. Rafeeque. It stars Indrajith Sukumaran, Thilakan, Jagathy Sreekumar, Dhanya Mary Varghese and Siddique. The film revolves around a Kathakali artist, Vardanunni, who joins the underworld to take revenge on those who killed his family and destroyed his life.

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<i>Ee.Ma.Yau.</i> 2018 Indian film

Ee.Ma.Yau. is a 2018 Indian Malayalam-language independent tragedy film directed by Lijo Jose Pellissery and written by P. F. Mathews. It stars Vinayakan, Chemban Vinod Jose, Pauly Valsan, Bitto Davis, Kainakary Thankaraj, Dileesh Pothan and Arya Salim in the main roles. The film had its premiere on 30 November 2017 and was theatrically released on 4 May 2018. The film revolves around the death and funeral of an older man from the Latin Catholic community in Chellanam, Ernakulam district. Lijo Jose Pellissery won the Best Director Award at the 48th Kerala State Film Awards for Ee.Ma.Yau. The film won the Silver Peacock-Best Director and Best Actor awards at the 49th International Film Festival of India. It also won two awards at the International Film Festival of Kerala viz. the NETPAC Award for Best Asian film in Competition and the Golden Crow Pheasant Award for the best director. It was included in The Hindu's top 25 Malayalam films of the decade and is widely regarded as one of the defining movies of the New Wave Movement.

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References

  1. ↑ "'Angamaly Diaries': Film Review | Hollywood Reporter". www.hollywoodreporter.com. 24 May 2017. Archived from the original on 25 June 2020. Retrieved 23 June 2020.
  2. ↑ "Ee.Ma.Yau review: Lijo Jose Pellissery outdoes himself, yet again". The Week. Archived from the original on 9 June 2023. Retrieved 6 August 2023.
  3. ↑ "Lijo Jose Pellissery's Churuli was shot in just 19 days!!". 12 March 2020. Archived from the original on 9 June 2023. Retrieved 6 August 2023.
  4. 1 2 "മരണത്തോളം സത്യസന്ധം ഈ ചിത്രം; റിവ്യു". ManoramaOnline. Archived from the original on 4 May 2018. Retrieved 4 May 2018.
  5. ↑ "ലിജോ ജോസ് പെല്ലിശ്ശേരി മികച്ച സംവിധായകന്‍; ഡാര്‍ക്ക് റൂം മികച്ച ചിത്രം". Mathrubhumi. 14 December 2018. Archived from the original on 10 May 2019. Retrieved 14 December 2018.
  6. ↑ "ദൈവീകം ഈ വിജയം | mangalam.com". Archived from the original on 4 April 2013. Retrieved 12 December 2013.
  7. 1 2 "Kerala News : Actor Jose Pellissery dead". The Hindu . 6 December 2004. Retrieved 1 December 2018.[ dead link ]
  8. ↑ "Lijo Jose Pellissery biography". veethi.com. 1 December 2018. Archived from the original on 1 December 2018. Retrieved 1 December 2018.
  9. ↑ "Lijo Jose Pellissery to get engaged". The Times of India . Archived from the original on 20 July 2018. Retrieved 11 May 2018.
  10. ↑ George, Anjana. "Lijo Jose Pellissery to get engaged". The Times of India . Archived from the original on 20 July 2018. Retrieved 11 May 2018.
  11. ↑ "Lijo Jose Pellissery IDSFFK". IDSFFK. 1 December 2018. Archived from the original on 1 December 2018. Retrieved 1 December 2018.
  12. ↑ "PIX declares winners of its short film fest - Businessofcinema.com". Businessofcinema.com. 25 December 2007. Archived from the original on 16 January 2020. Retrieved 1 December 2018.
  13. ↑ "Nayakan Review – Malayalam Movie Review by VN". Nowrunning.com. 22 March 2010. Archived from the original on 29 July 2012. Retrieved 22 August 2012.
  14. ↑ "Review: Nayakan is interesting – Rediff.com Movies". Rediff.com. 22 March 2010. Archived from the original on 4 January 2014. Retrieved 22 August 2012.
  15. ↑ "Movie Review:Nayakan". Sify . Archived from the original on 11 March 2014. Retrieved 22 August 2012.
  16. ↑ Gayathry, By (22 March 2010). "Nayakan – Review | – Oneindia Entertainment". Entertainment.oneindia.in. Archived from the original on 11 October 2012. Retrieved 22 August 2012.
  17. 1 2 "Malayalam movies: Non-linear narratives are making the box-office ring louder". economictimes. 21 May 2011. Archived from the original on 23 September 2012. Retrieved 18 June 2011.
  18. ↑ Veeyen (24 April 2011). "City Of God Review". nowrunning.com – "don't miss the show!". INFOCON LLC. Archived from the original on 27 June 2012. Retrieved 17 June 2012.
  19. ↑ "Review: City Of God is worth a watch". Rediff. 25 April 2011. Archived from the original on 1 December 2018. Retrieved 2 December 2018.
  20. ↑ "Fahadh Faasil's Amen turns four!". The Times of India . 22 March 2017. Archived from the original on 25 March 2017. Retrieved 1 December 2018.
  21. ↑ "Review: Amen is brilliant". Rediff. 1 December 2018. Archived from the original on 2 December 2018. Retrieved 1 December 2018.
  22. ↑ "Double Barrel Movie Review {2.5/5}: Critic Review of Double Barrel by Times of India". Times of India. 6 April 2016. Retrieved 2 December 2018.
  23. ↑ James, Anu (2 December 2018). "Angamaly Diaries review: Here's what celebs have to say about Lijo Jose Pellissery's movie". International Business Times, India Edition. Archived from the original on 12 June 2018. Retrieved 2 December 2018.
  24. ↑ "Small is beautiful: Malayalam cinema's low budget films are scoring big at the box office". The News Minute. 7 September 2017. Archived from the original on 14 December 2017. Retrieved 2 December 2018.
  25. ↑ "And...the best film of the year is Angamaly Diaries, says Anurag Kashyap!". The Times of India . Archived from the original on 5 February 2018. Retrieved 11 May 2018.
  26. ↑ "Angamaly Diaries: Here Is What Anurag Kashyap Has To Say About The Movie!". filmibeat.com. 2 December 2018. Archived from the original on 12 June 2018. Retrieved 2 December 2018.
  27. ↑ "Angamaly Storyteller, Lijo Jose Pellissery Has taken Contemporary Malayalam Cinema By Storm". Man's World India. 17 April 2018. Archived from the original on 2 December 2018. Retrieved 2 December 2018.
  28. ↑ "French Viplavam to be released in September". Cinema Express. 23 July 2018. Archived from the original on 15 August 2018. Retrieved 15 August 2018.
  29. ↑ M, Athira (30 November 2017). "'Ee.Ma.Yau' preview: A death and the events that follow". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 16 January 2020. Retrieved 2 December 2018.
  30. ↑ "Release of Lijo Jose's 'Ee Ma Yau' postponed to 2018". The News Minute. 20 December 2017. Archived from the original on 2 December 2018. Retrieved 2 December 2018.
  31. ↑ "IFFI: Chemban Vinod and Lijo Jose Pellissery bag big wins at the film fest". The Times of India . 1 December 2018. Archived from the original on 23 January 2024. Retrieved 1 December 2018.
  32. ↑ "The unpredictable mind behind 'Ee.Ma Yau': Lijo Jose Pellissery interview". The News Minute. 1 December 2018. Archived from the original on 2 December 2018. Retrieved 2 December 2018.
  33. ↑ "SZIFF – International Film Festival Tanzania". sziff.co.tz. 5 March 2019. Archived from the original on 6 March 2019. Retrieved 5 March 2019.
  34. ↑ "Angamaly Diaries: Meet the director whose Malayalam film is probably the best this year". hindustantimes.com. 30 April 2017. Archived from the original on 11 December 2018. Retrieved 2 December 2018.
  35. ↑ "EE. Ma. Yau: Five reasons to watch Lijo Jose Pellissery". The Times of India . 2 December 2018. Archived from the original on 20 January 2019. Retrieved 2 December 2018.
  36. ↑ "Where cinematographer Girish Gangadharan breaks down five scenes from 'Jallikattu'". thehindu.com. 28 October 2019. Archived from the original on 26 September 2021. Retrieved 26 September 2021.
  37. ↑ "'Malaikottai Vaaliban' trailer: Mohanlal is a ray of hope in Lijo Jose Pellissery's period spectacle" . The Hindu . 19 January 2024. Archived from the original on 23 January 2024. Retrieved 23 January 2024.
  38. ↑ Sangeeta Nair (29 November 2019). "IFFI 2019: Full list of winners; Particles wins Best Film, Lijo Jose Pellissery wins Best Director award". Jagran Prakashan. Jagran Josh. Archived from the original on 17 June 2021. Retrieved 25 November 2020.

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