55th International Film Festival of India: Australian director Noyce conferred Satyajit Ray Award
Entertainment Desk
Eminent Australian Director Phillip Noyce was presented the prestigious Satyajit Ray Lifetime Achievement Award for excellence in cinema at the closing ceremony of the 54th International Film Festival of India (IFFI) in Goa on Thursday.
The award includes a Silver Peacock Medal, a certificate, a shawl, a scroll, and a cash prize of Rs one million.
Noyce is known for films like the Angelina Jolie-starrer “Salt”, “Patriot Games” starring Harrison Ford and “The Bone Collector” featuring Denzel Washington.
The Satyajit Ray Lifetime Achievement Award, an International honour instituted by IFFI, was previously bestowed on luminaries like Martin Scorsese, Bernardo Bertolucci, Dilip Kumar, Carlos Saura, Krzysztof Zanussi, Wong Kar-wai and Michael Douglas.
In his acceptance speech, Noyce said “Growing up in Australia, we were all inspired by the work of Satyajit Ray. I have drawn from his approach in my work, particularly when casting. Like Ray, when I couldn’t find Indigenous Australian actors for my films, I looked to cast real people who could simply be themselves.”
He expressed deep gratitude to Ray, saying “In the world of Australian cinema, we filmmakers owe a debt to Satyajit Ray that goes far beyond any award. His influence continues to guide and inspire us.”
Reflecting on the future of cinema, Noyce said “We must once again turn to Satyajit Ray’s cinematic philosophy Less is more. As technology evolves, so must we. Let movies become smaller and Ideas get bigger. That, I believe, is the future of cinema”, he added.
