Cinematographer and academic Sunny Joseph has been appointed as the director of the K.R. Narayanan National Institute of Visual Science and Arts at Kottayam.

A graduate of the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), Mr. Joseph has worked in 65 feature films in 12 Indian languages, besides short films and documentaries, in a professional career spanning over four decades. He has also directed a dozen short films and two television serials. His debut feature film as a director was Salt of the Earth.

A recipient of many State and national awards for cinematography and direction, Mr. Joseph also conducts workshops in film schools across the country.

He is a founder member of the Indian Society of Cinematographers and is currently the president of the Cinematographers Union of Malayalam Cinema.

He was the cinematographer for movies and documentaries that include Piravi, Nizhalkuthu, Train to Pakistan, Oru Cheru Punchiri, Bimba Prathibimba, Janala, Woh, Goddess and Mango Souffle.

Minister for Higher Education R. Bindu said Mr. Joseph’s appointment would pave the way for raising the institute to the status of an international centre for film studies.