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Vic Sarin | |
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%2c_along_with_the_members%2c_Mr._Vic_Sarin_(Canada)%2c_Mr._Kenichi_Okubu_(Tokyo)_Ms._Sarika_(India)_and_Mr._Jean-Michel_Frodon_(France).jpg) | |
| Born | India |
| Nationality | Canadian, American |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1961-present |
| Awards | List |
Victor SarinCM (born 1945) is anIndian-bornCanadian/American filmdirector,cinematographer andscreenwriter who has worked in film and television for over 60 years. Sarin was the recipient of theCanadian Society of Cinematographers Kodak New Century Award[1] in 2009, theDirectors Guild of Canada Lifetime Achievement Award in 2018[2] and theOrder of Canada in 2022.
Sarin has worked on over 100 feature films, documentaries and television specials across multiple genres. Sarin has nominated for and wonEmmys,Genies,Geminis andCanadian Screen Awards. Sarin’s films have screened at film festivals includingTIFF,Cannes,Berlin,Tribeca,London,Shanghai,San Sebastian,Sydney, andGoa.[citation needed]
His work as a cinematographer includesPartition,Margaret's Museum,Whale Music,Heartaches, andDancing in the Dark. He also directedPartition,A Shine of Rainbows,Left Behind, andThe Lightkeeper.
Born inKashmir, India, Sarin experimented with his family’s8 mm movie camera and watchedIndian films as a child.[3] Sarin’s father worked for India'sMinistry of External Affairs as a diplomat toAustralia. Sarin joined them inCanberra before moving toMelbourne. He took a two year Broadcast Operator’s program at theRoyal Technical College.[4] On his 17th birthday, his father bought him a16 mmBolex camera.
After graduating from The Royal Technical College in 1961, Sarin was hired by theAustralian Broadcast Corporation as a technician's assistant and freelanced as a film cameraman forABC News. Due to his father’s diplomatic post ending and Australia'sracial immigration policy, Sarin had to leave Australia and chose to move to Canada in 1963.[5]
Shortly after arriving in Canada, Vic was hired byCBC Toronto as a studio cameraman, working on programs such asThe National,This Hour Has Seven Days,The Friendly Giant,Front Page Challenge,Take Thirty,News Magazine,Razzle Dazzle,Mr. Dressup,[6]The Nature of Things,Front Page Challenge,Juliette and others.[7]
In 1968, Sarin joined the film department ofCBC Television. Over the next 18 years, Sarin worked as a cinematographer for many primetime CBCdocumentaries anddramas. Sarin was the first staff cinematographer for the CBC’s long-running primetimeinvestigative documentary programThe Fifth Estate in 1976[8] as well as the first cinematographer on the landmarkanthology drama seriesFor The Record[9] in the same year.
Sarin worked as the cinematographer for many award winning CBC Television movies andminiseries such asRiel,The Wordsmith,War Brides,Chautauqua Girl,Charlie Grant's War,Crossbar andLove and Larceny. In 1980, Sarin's directorial debut began with the acclaimed three-part miniseriesYou've Come a Long Way Katie starringLally Cadeau andCatherine O'Hara. He then directed CBC moviesTheOther Kingdom,Passengers,Island Love Song andFamily Reunion.[10] While working for the CBC, Sarin also shot his first featureHeartaches as the cinematographer in 1981 which was nominated for eleven Genie Awards, winning three.[11]
Sarin left the CBC in 1987 to pursue a career as an independent filmmaker. In 1989, His first feature film as a director wasCold Comfort, a dramatic thriller about three people stranded at deserted gas station in a blizzard starringPaul Gross,Maury Chaykin andJayne Eastwood. It was nominated for five Genie awards including Best Picture and won Best Adapted screenplay.[12]
In 1991, Sarin directed and shot the ten part documentary seriesMillennium: Tribal Wisdom and the Modern World which celebrates the lives and worldviews of small scale non-technological societies as the last of them face their inevitable accommodation with the 'modern world'. TheMillennium series premiered in February 1992 onThe Global Television Network. It was broadcast nationally onPBS in May 1992 and later onBBC Television. The series was subsequently broadcast in numerous other countries over the following years with global viewership approaching 100 million.Millennium earned him an Emmy Award for Outstanding Individual Achievement in Cinematography.[13]
Sarin directedTrial at Fortitude Bay starringHenry Czerny in 1994 which received two Gemini nominations.[14] In 1995, he was the cinematographer for the period drama filmMargaret's Museum starringHelena Botham Carter andClive Russell, earning another Genie nomination for Best Cinematography.[15] In 1996, Sarin directedThe Legend of Gatorface in 1996 which was nominated for aDaytime Emmy Award forPaul Winfield forOutstanding Performer in a Children's Special.[16] In 1997, he directedIn His Father’s Shoes, being nominated for five Daytime Emmy Awards, winning two. Sarin directed and shotSea People in 1999, earning Four Daytime Emmy nominations.[17]
In 2001, Sarin directed theChristianapocalyptic thriller filmLeft Behind in 2001 starringKirk Cameron. Shot primarily in and aroundToronto,Ontario, Canada, the film cost $17.4 million (equivalent to $28,653,459 in 2023). At the time of its release, the film was promoted by its creators as the "biggest and most ambitious Christian film ever made.[18]"
In 2003, Sarin founded the multi-platform film and television production company Sepia Films with partners Tina Pehme and Kim Roberts. Based inVancouver,British Columbia andLos Angeles, Sepia specializes in international co-productions and has produced and shot films in Canada,U.S.,Ireland,England,Italy,Denmark,India,China,South Africa,Tanzania,Argentina,Australia andBrazil.
Sarin wrote, directed and shotPartition in 2007,[19] an epic period romantic drama film starringJimi Mistry,Irrfan Khan andKristin Kreuk. A co-production between Canada, South Africa and theUnited Kingdom, it takes place in India during the 1947Partition of India and Pakistan and follows aSikh ex-soldier who offers shelter to a youngMuslim woman separated from her family. The film was shot primarily inKamloops, British Columbia Canada andPunjab, India. The film received one Genie Award nomination for the Best Achievement in Cinematography.[20]
In 2009, Sarin wrote, directed and shotA Shine of Rainbows inCounty Donegal, Ireland.[21] StarringConnie Neilson,Aiden Quinn,John Bell andJack Gleeson, it is an adaptation of the novelA Shine of Rainbows by English writerLillian Beckwith. Debuting at TIFF, It was nominated for and won several awards.[22]
Sarin returned back to documentary work in 2011 by directingDesert Riders[23] about thetrafficking,slavery andsexual abuse of young boys fromBangladesh,Pakistan,Mauritania and other countries to work ascamel jockeys in theUAE under excruciating conditions and the global effort to stop it. Sarin was a 2012 Director's Guild of Canada nominee for the Allen King Award for Excellence in a Documentary.
From 2013 to 2018, Sarin directed and shotThe Nightmare Series[24] which includedA Sister’s Nightmare (2013),A Daughters Nightmare (2014),A Wife's Nightmare (2014),A Surrogates Nightmare (2017) andA Father's Nightmare (2018) for theLifetime Network.
Sarin directedHue: a Matter of Colour in 2013 which channelled a personal, heartfelt investigation into the history and often tragic effects ofcolourism.[25] It was a co-production between Sepia Films, TheNational Film Board of Canada andDocumentary Channel.[26] In 2014, Sarin directedThe Boy From Geita which followed Adam, a young Tanzanian boy persecuted because of hisalbinism.[27] The film was nominated for several awards including three fromVIFF and the 2015 Directors Guild of Canada Allan King Award For Excellence in Documentary. In 2015, Sarin directedKeepers of the Magic[28] which “honours the great masters of cinematography, unsung heroes whose vision and talent was always right before our eyes” and conducted interviews with fellow filmmakers likeRoger Deakins,Vittorio Storaro,Gordon Willis andSam Mendes.[29]
In 2022, Sarin co-wrote, shot and directed the dramatic thrillerSugar forAmazon Prime Video starring Katherine McNamara and Jasmine Sky. The true story chronicled two Canadian influencers on a cruise around the world who naively get involved in illegal activities for a cartel.[30]
In 2017, Vic wrote a published autobiography about his life calledEyepiece: Adventures in Canadian Film and Television.[31] With a foreword byThe Right HonourableAdrienne Clarkson, Eyepiece chronicles Vic’s childhood in India and Australia, working for the CBC in Canada to transitioning to an independent filmmaker.
Sarin’s latest film is an Irish period romantic drama calledThe Lightkeeper starringDominac Cooper,Sarah Gadon,[32] Aiden Quinn andSarah Bolger. Filming began in September, 2023.[33]
| Year | Title | Director | Cinematographer | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1975 | The Naked Peacock | No | Yes | Documentary |
| 1981 | Heartaches | No | Yes | |
| 1986 | Loyalties | No | Yes | |
| 1986 | Bye Bye Blues | No | Yes | |
| 1986 | Dancing in the Dark | No | Yes | |
| 1987 | Nowhere to Hide | No | Yes | |
| 1988 | A Switch in Time (akaNorman's Awesome Experience) | No | Yes | |
| 1989 | Namumkin | No | Yes | |
| 1989 | Cold Comfort | Yes | Yes | |
| 1989 | The Long Road Home | No | Yes | |
| 1990 | Divided Loyalites | No | Yes | |
| 1991 | On My Own | No | Yes | |
| 1992 | Mountain Gorillia | No | Yes | Documentary, shot on IMAX |
| 1993 | Cold Sweat | No | Yes | |
| 1993 | The Burning Season | No | Yes | |
| 1994 | Whale Music | No | Yes | |
| 1995 | Urban Safari | No | Yes | |
| 1996 | Salt Water Moose | No | Yes | |
| 1997 | The Hidden Dimension | No | Yes | Documentary, shot on IMAX |
| 2000 | Left Behind: The Movie | Yes | Yes | |
| 2004 | Love on the Side | Yes | Yes | Also executive producer |
| 2007 | Partition | Yes | Yes | Also writer |
| 2009 | A Shine of Rainbows | Yes | Yes | Also writer |
| 2022 | Sugar | Yes | Yes | Also writer |
| TBA | The Lightkeeper | Yes | Yes | Also writer |
| Year | Title | Director | Cinematographer | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1963–1971 | Telescope | No | Yes | Cinematographer for 16 episodes |
| 1976 | The Rimshots | No | Yes | Cinematographer for the pilot |
| 1976–1979 | The Fifth Estate | No | Yes | Cinematographer for 3 seasons |
| 1976–1977 | For the Record | No | Yes | Cinematographer for 8 episodes |
| 1981 | Seeing Things | No | Yes | Cinematographer for 1 episode |
| 1984 | The Edison Twins | No | Yes | Cinematographer for 2 episodes |
| 1988 | Alfred Hitchcock Presents | Yes | No | Directed 1, cinematographer for 4 |
| 1988 | T. and T. | Yes | No | Directed 1 episode |
| 1994–1995 | Spenser | Yes | Yes | Directed 1, cinematographer for 4 |
| 1997 | Wind at My Back | Yes | No | Directed 1 episode |
| 2000 | Hope Island | Yes | No | Directed 1 episode |
| 2001 | Starhunter | No | Yes | Cinematographer for 2 episodes |
| 2002 | Flatland | Yes | Yes | Directed 4 episodes |
| Year | Title | Director | Cinematographer | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1977 | Someday Soon | No | Yes | |
| 1977 | The Fighting Man | No | Yes | |
| 1979 | Crossbar | No | Yes | |
| 1979 | The Wordsmith | No | Yes | |
| 1979 | Fighting Back | No | Yes | |
| 1979 | Riel | No | Yes | Miniseries |
| 1980 | War Brides | No | Yes | |
| 1981 | A Far Cry from Home | No | Yes | |
| 1981 | Bix: 'Ain't None of Them Play Like Him Yet' | No | Yes | Documentary |
| 1981 | You've Come a Long Way, Katie | Yes | Yes | Directorial debut, Miniseries |
| 1982 | Hugh MacLennan: Portrait of a Writer | No | Yes | Documentary |
| 1982 | Passengers | Yes | Yes | |
| 1983 | Rumours of Glory | No | Yes | |
| 1984 | Chautauqua Girl | No | Yes | |
| 1984 | The Accident | No | Yes | |
| 1984 | The Other Kingdom | Yes | Yes | Miniseries |
| 1985 | Charlie Grant's War | No | Yes | |
| 1985 | Love and Larceny | No | Yes | |
| 1986 | Turning to Stone | No | Yes | |
| 1986 | Dave Thomas: The Incredible Time Travels of Henry Osgood | |||
| 1986 | The Last Season | No | Yes | |
| 1987 | Island Love Song | Yes | Yes | |
| 1988 | Family Reunion | Yes | Yes | |
| 1989 | Love and Hate: The Story of Colin and JoAnn Thatcher | No | Yes | |
| 1989 | A Moving Picture | No | Yes | |
| 1994 | Trial at Fortitude Bay | Yes | Yes | |
| 1995 | Wounded Heart | Yes | Yes | |
| 1996 | Hearts Adrift | Yes | Yes | |
| 1996 | The Legend of Gator Face | Yes | No | |
| 1997 | Artemesia | No | Yes | |
| 1997 | In His Father's Shoes | Yes | No | |
| 1998 | Hard to Forget | Yes | Yes | |
| 1998 | The Waiting Game | Yes | Yes | |
| 1999 | Sea People | Yes | Yes | |
| 2002 | Recipe for Murder | Yes | Yes | |
| 2005 | Murder Unveiled | Yes | No | |
| 2013 | A Sister's Nightmare | Yes | Yes | |
| 2013 | Hue: A Matter of Colour | Yes | Yes | Documentary, also writer |
| 2014 | A Daughter's Nightmare | Yes | Yes | |
| 2014 | A Wife's Nightmare | Yes | Yes | |
| 2016 | Summer in the City | Yes | Yes | |
| 2016 | Keepers of the Magic | Yes | Yes | Documentary, also writer |
| 2017 | A Surrogate's Nightmare | Yes | Yes | |
| 2017 | Drink Slay Love | No | Yes | Uncredited |
| 2018 | A Father's Nightmare | Yes | Yes | |
| 2021 | Kidnapped | Yes | Yes |
| Year | Title | Director | Cinematographer | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1964 | Endless Cycles | Yes | Yes | |
| 1965 | Dig those Diggers | Yes | Yes | |
| 1974 | People of Our Times | No | Yes | |
| 1974 | Elements of Survival | No | Yes | |
| 1979 | Taking Chances | No | Yes | |
| 1983 | Gurkhas of Nepal | Yes | Yes | Also writer |
| 1989 | Solitary Journey | Yes | Yes | |
| 1992 | Millennium: Tribal Wisdom and the Modern World | Yes | Yes | |
| 1992 | The David Milgaard Story | Yes | Yes | Also producer |
| 1993 | God's Dominion: Shepherds to the Flock | No | Yes | |
| 2011 | Desert Riders | Yes | Yes | |
| 2014 | The Boy from Geita | Yes | Yes | Also writer |
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