Shiju Balagopalan

I was born in the hilly area of Kannur district in Kerala, India, and due to the financial difficulties in my family, I had to work in a meat shop and part-time jobs from other relatives to complete my high school education. During that time, my interest in cinema began while watching movies from the VCR cassettes available in those houses. Later, I learned the basics of editing through studying editing techniques and started working at a local channel. Along with that, I also had a fascination for becoming a film director. I approached many directors to become an assistant director. But it didn't reach the target. It was during that time that I came across an article about renowned filmmaker John Abraham and Odessa film society. This made me aware of the concept of collective cinema and sparked my interest. With this inspiration, I gathered money from the locals and made a film without any prior experience in film production. This film was screened in various movie theaters across the Malabar region titled as “Nanmakal pookkunna naattil” through crowd funding. Encouraged by this success, another film called "Ilam Veil" was made using the same model. It was screened in government theaters. Following this, my first-ever international film festival participation introduced me to more impactful cinema experiences. Determined to being more such movies to the forefront and enhance the quality of cinema within a limited budget, I learned the technical aspects including camera, editing, sound recording, Sound mixing, coloring, etc., for a period of 10 years. Afterward, the film "Eran: The Man who always obeys" happened, where I fulfilled all the pre-production, production, and post-production works. It was completed entirely in my hometown, Thillankeri, a small village.

Born on: 28 November, 1983

Born in: Thillenkeri