Quick Facts
Biography
Madhusudhanan, is an Indian film maker and artist, born 1956 in Allapuzha, a coastal district in Kerala. Started drawing at a very young age. Studied Painting at Fine Arts College, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, and Print Making at the Faculty of Fine Arts, M.S. University, Vadodara, Gujarat. His artistic practice flows seamlessly across various mediums in art and cinema, including video art and narrative feature film.His work confronts India’s film history, her colonial period and contemporary war politics. He is deeply concerned with war, colonization, and man-made borders.Marxism and Buddhism have been decisive influences on Madhusudhanan’s art.
He has made several paintings based on Indian cinema. For example, a series of paintings and drawings titled "Archeology of Cinema". Some of the paintings and drawings from this series have been exhibited at several places in India and abroad. Madhusudhanan continues to work on this theme, and adding to the series.
"Self Portrait", scripted and directed by Madhusudhanan tells the story of a street photographer through news of global wars. The protagonist sees his own image in the pictures of the dead he is called to take for police records. The film was shown at over a dozen international film festivals and received the best film award from Greece. Was selected by the Museum of Modern Art, New York (MoMA) as part of a selection of Outstanding Short Films from International Festivals.
In 2006, scripted and directed a silent film “History is a Silent Film”. The life story of a cinema projector repairer. Of him discovering his father, who disappeared during the India Pakistan partition, in a newsreel that comes to him in a projector for repair. This film was also shown at the MoMA, New York, in addition to several other film festivals.
"Bioscope", a narrativa feature film, directed in 2008 is also based on visual images.
"Shambharik Kharolika", or the Magic Lantern, is a film constructed around the 19th century magic lantern slides, a forerunner of modern cinema. The magic lantern slides, originating in Europe, were historically developed in India by Mahadeorao Patwardhan (who named it Shambharik Kharolika) and his sons during the British era. The father and sons performed the magic lantern slide shows all across the country in India. These historical figures and their lives provide the broad storyline for this film, while their lives are seen in the film through the eyes of two robbers.
"The Logic of Disappearance - A Marx Archive", is an ongoing project comprising drawings, sculptural installations and video installations 90 charcoal drawings shown at the Kochi Muziris Biennale: 'Whorled Explorations' 2014-15, curated by Jitish Kallat. Selection of 30 charcoal drawings shown at the Venice Biennale: 'All the World's Futures', 2015, Curated by Okwui Enwezor.
His new series titled Penal Colony, based on the Wagon Tragedy, an incident that took place in Kerala in 1921 under the British rule. This work has as its backdrop, Kafka’s celebrated story “In the Penal Colony”.
Exhibitions
56th Venice Biennale, Italy: 'All the World's Futures', Curated by Okwui Enwezor: 9 May 2015 - 22 November 2015
Kochi Muziris Biennale, Noida, India: 'Whorled Explorations', curated by Jitish Kallat: 12 December 2014 - 29 March 2015
Kiran Nadar Museum of Art, Noida, India: Pond Near the Field: 25 November 2015 - 29 February 2016
Delhi Art Fair, Vadehra Art Gallery: 28 January 2016 - 31 January 2016
Filmography
Balamaniyamma, Documentary, English, Malayalam, 1997
O.V. Vijayan, English, Malayalam, Documentary, 2000
Self Portrait, Short Fiction, Hindi, 2001
History is a Silent Film, Short Fiction, Silent, 2006
Mayabazaar, Documentary, Telugu, English, 2006
Razor, Blood and Other Tales, Short Fiction, Silent, 2007
Bioscope, Feature Film, Malayalam, Tamil, 2008
Awards & Recognition
Self Portrait, 2001
- • Best Film, Thessaloniki Festival, Greece
- • Outstanding Film from International Festivals, MoMA, New York
History is a Silent Film, 2006
- • Outstanding Film from International Festivals, MoMA, New York
Bioscope, 2008 Osian Cinefan International Film Festival, NETPAC Jury Award for Best Asian Film Special Mention Jury Award, Mannheim-Heidelberg International Festival, Germany Best Cinematography Award, SAIFF, New York 5 Kerala State Film Awards
- o Special Jury Award for Direction
- o Best Cinematography
- o Best Editing
- o Best Background Score
- o Best Film Processing Lab
Special Jury Award, National Film Awards
Books & Articles
- • On Bioscope: Rhythm of Light, Malayalam, Dr. V. Sanil
- • The Gaze of Cinema, Malayalam, Dr. K. Gopinathan
- • K.M. Madhusudhanan’s Bioscope, English, Shekhar Deshpande
- • Scholars Watching Elephant, English, Leo Bankersen
- • Bioscope Script, Malayalam, Published by Mathrubhoomi Books
- •• A Turning Point, Interview, Screen India