The first Indian film released in India was Shree Pundalik a silent film in Marathi by Dadasaheb Torne on 18 May 1912 at 'Coronation Cinematograph', Bombay.
Dadasaheb Phalke is known as the "father of Indian cinema", and the Dadasaheb Phalke Award, for lifetime contribution to cinema, was instituted in his honour, by the Government of India in 1969, and is the most prestigious and coveted award in Indian cinema.
The first Indian colour film was "Kisan Kanya" and it was directed by Moti B.
India At Cannes Film Festival
1946 - Neecha Nagar - the Grand Prix du Festival International du Film, now known as Palme d’Or
1951 - Amar Bhoopali - nominated for the Grand Prize of the Festival, but it won the award for Excellence in Sound Recording
1954 - Do Bigha Zamin - Prix Internationale
1955 – Pather Panchali - Best Human Document
1982 - Kharij - Special Jury Prize
1988 - Salaam Bombay! - The Camera d'Or and the Audience Award at the 1988 festival,
1999 - Marana Simhasanam - the Camera d'Or at the 1999 festival
2015 - Masaan - the Un Certain Regard category at the film festival, also winning the Fipresci prize.
India at Oscars
Since 1958, many Indian films have been nominated for the Oscars while no film made by an Indian, in particular, has won the award so far.
There have been over 45 submissions and so far, about six films have been nominated.
Here's a list of Bollywood films nominated for Oscars and the Indians who carried away the golden statue.
Mother India, 1957:
The film was directed by Mehboob Khan in the year 1957. The film was nominated for the 'Best Foreign Language Film' in 1958 in the 30th Academy Awards. However, it didn't win the award.
An Encounter with Faces, 1978:
Directed by Vidhu Vinod Chopra and produced by KK Kapil, the documentary got an Academy Award nomination in the year 1979 for Best Documentary Short Subject.
Salaam Bombay, 1988:
Directed by Mira Nair, the film was made in the year 1988. The film was later nominated for the 'Best Foreign Language Film' in the year 1989, in the 55th Academy Awards.
Lagaan, 2001:
Lagaan was shot in the year 2001, by director Ashutosh Gowariker. The film was nominated for 'Best Foreign Language Film' in the year 2002, in the 74th Academy Awards
Little Terrorists, 2005:
Written, directed and produced by Ashwin Kumar, the movie was nominated in the year 2005, for the Live Action Short Film category.
Life of Pi, 2012:
The movie directed by Ang Lee had lyrics by Bombay Jayshree (for the song 'Pi's Lullaby'), who was nominated for 'Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Song'. This nomination marked the first ever Tamil song to be selected for the category.
Academy Awards:
There are Indians who have won Academy Awards but these have been mostly for foreign films, directed by foreign filmmakers.
Bhanu Athaiya:
In 1983, Bhanu Athaiya won the Academy Award for Best Costume Design in Gandhi. The film was made in 1982 by the English director, Richard Samuel Attenborough.
Satyajit Ray:
In 1992, at the 64th Academy Awards, Satyajit Ray received 'Honorary Award' by the Academy for his contribution to cinema. He is one of the most iconic filmmakers in the World
Resul Pookutty:
He won an Oscar for Best Sound Mixing for Slumdog Millionaire at the 81st Academy Awards.
A.R. Rahman:
Rahman created history when he won the award for Best Original Score for Slumdog Millionaire. He became the first Indian music director to do so.
Gulzar and A.R. Rahman:
The duo of AR Rahman and Gulzar clinched another of the golden statue for their phenomenal song, Jai Ho, again for Slumdog Millionaire in the year 2009.
