Ashok Meena is a cinematographer from Jaipur and a graduate of the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), Pune. He works across both fiction and documentary, often drawn to stories rooted in real places and everyday lives.
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His work includes Against The Tide (Special Jury Award, Sundance 2023), Pushkarpuran by Kamal Swaroop, MeenRaag (National Award, 2023), and Gagan Gaman (Skyward) by Suruchi Sharma. Two recent films – Sad Letters of an Imaginary Woman (dir. Nidhi Saxena) and In Retreat (dir. Maisam Ali) – are premiering at the Busan International Film Festival.
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Ashok’s films have travelled to festivals including Cannes, IDFA, Sheffield, Hot Docs, DocsBarcelona, Munich, MAMI, and Visions du Réel, among others. His collaborations have also been recognised at the Gotham Awards, ACID Cannes, and the National Film Awards.
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Beyond his filmography, Ashok is closely engaged with independent cinema and documentary practice in India. He sees cinematography not just as craft, but as a way of being attentive – to people, to spaces, and to the quiet rhythms of life. His work balances technical precision with a search for images that feel honest and lived.
by Filmmaker Staff
in Cinematographers, Festivals & Events, Interviews, Sundance Responses
on Jan 29, 2023
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CA version of this article appears in print on Nov. 24, 2023, Section C, Page 6 of the New York edition with the headline: Against the Tide