Kanaala Nanjunda Tirumala Sastry (5 September 1945 – 13 September 2018) was an Indian film critic, screenwriter, director, littérateur, and producer, known for his works predominantly in Telugu cinema. He has garnered six National Film Awards, three Nandi Awards and three International honors.
He served as chairman of critics Jury at National Film Awards. Sastry was a jury member of Vladivostok International Film Festival 2003; five time jury member for Indian Panorama-International Film Festival of India; jury member the Nandi Awards, Government of Andhra Pradesh, and Fipresci jury member at Kinotavr film festival and Busan International Film Festival.
Sastry's Thilaadanam received "New Currents Award" at the 7th Busan International Film Festival. He worked on many research projects with veteran director B. Narsing Rao. Sastry's English Documentary Harvesting Baby Girls won the Special Jury Award at International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam.
Noted publications Chittoor V. Nagaiah: A Monologue Nalo Nenu a Monologue of Bhanumathi Ramakrishna Alanti Chalanchitram First 25 Years of Telugu cinema
Filmography Year Film Director Producer Screenwriter Notes1987 Maa Ooru National Film Award for Best Anthropological/Ethnographic FilmMedia Wave Award at the Hungary International festival of visual artsBest Film International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam1988 Daasi National Film Award for Best Feature Film in TeluguDiploma of Merit award at Moscow Film Festival1999 Surabhi Documentary - Short FilmNandi Award for Best Documentary FilmNational Film Award for Best Anthropological/Ethnographic Film2000 Thilaadanam New York Indian Film FestivalNew Currents Award - 7th Busan International Film Festival2003 Harvesting Baby Girls Special Jury Award International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam2006 Kamli National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Telugu2016 Shaanu The Golden Elephant Festival
Awards National Film Awards Best Film Critic - 1989 Best Book on Cinema (Publisher) - 1993 Special Jury Award / Special Mention - Book on Cinema - 1995 Best Ethnographic Film - 1999 Best Debut Film of a Director - 2002 Best Feature Film in Telugu - 2007
International Honours Special Jury Award, Harvesting Baby Girls, at International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam New Currents Award at the 7th Busan International Film Festival in South Korea Fipresci Jury Member at Kinotavr film festival and Busan International Film Festival
Nandi Awards(in Telugu) Best First Film of a Director - Thilaadanam (2001) First Best Documentary Film - Surabhi (1999) Best Book on Telugu Cinema - Alanati Chalana Chitram (1995)
References