Hindi
Julian Stanford joins IMAX for EMEA region
MUMBAI: IMAX Corporation has appointed Julian Stanford as GM – theatre development, Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region.
Based in London, he will report directly to EVP – theatre development Larry O’Reilly. Stanford will be responsible for accelerating IMAX‘s growth throughout EMEA and increasing IMAX‘s presence as the premiere venue to experience Hollywood films.
At present, there are 55 IMAX theatres in EMEA, and 15 additional IMAX theatres are scheduled to be open in the region by the end of 2011.
Prior to IMAX, was working with video gaming company Aristocrat Technologies. He has also served as the head of sales (EMEA) for United International Pictures (UIP), where he oversaw film distribution and sales for Paramount, Universal and DreamWorks films.
“Stanford‘s experience and understanding of the industry and market make him an ideal choice to take on this critical role at IMAX, especially when the IMAX film slate includes some of the most impressive titles in Hollywood,” said Reilly. “His personal relationships and knowledge of the industry and the nuances of conducting business throughout EMEA will be extremely helpful as well.”
“Given his background with film distribution strategy and on-the-ground experience, Stanford will be a valuable addition to the IMAX team,” added IMAX Co-CEOs and Co-Chairmen Richard L Gelfond and Bradley J Wechsler. “The European market holds much growth potential as IMAX rolls out IMAX digital and seeks more joint venture relationships with exhibitors, and Julian‘s expertise will be an important boost to our efforts in EMEA.”
Hindi
Remembering Gyan Sahay, the lens behind film, television and advertising
From a puppet rabbit selling poppadums to Hindi cinema, he framed it all.
MUMBAI: There are careers, and then there are canvases. Gyan Sahay, the veteran cinematographer, director, and producer who passed away on 10 March 2026 in Mumbai, had one of the latter. Over several decades in the Indian film and television industry, he turned lenses, lights, and the occasional puppet rabbit into something approaching art.
A graduate of the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) in Pune, Sahay built his reputation as a director of photography across a career that stretched from the early 1970s all the way to the digital age. He was the kind of craftsman who understood that a well-composed shot is not merely a technical achievement but a quiet act of storytelling.
For most Indians of a certain age, however, Sahay will forever be the man behind the rabbit. His direction of the iconic long-running television commercial for Lijjat Papad, featuring its now-legendary puppet bunny, gave the country one of its most cheerfully persistent advertising images. It was the sort of work that sneaks into the national subconscious and takes up permanent residence.
His big-screen credits as cinematographer include Anokhi Pehchan (1972), Pagli (1974), Pas de Deux (1981), and Hum Farishte Nahin (1988). In 1999, he stepped behind a different kind of camera altogether, making his directorial debut with Sar Ankhon Par, a drama that featured Vikas Bhalla and Shruti Ulfat, with a cameo by Shah Rukh Khan for good measure.
On television, Sahay was particularly prized for his command of multi-camera production setups, a skill that made him a go-to technician for large-scale shows and reality programmes. In an industry that has never been especially patient with complexity, he was the calm hand on the rig.
In later life, Sahay turned teacher. He participated regularly in masterclasses and Digi-Talks, often hosted by organisations such as Bharatiya Chitra Sadhna, sharing hard-won wisdom on cinematography, the comedy of timing in a shot, and the sweeping changes brought by the shift from celluloid to digital. He was also said to have been involved in a project concerning a biographical film on Infosys co-founder N.R. Narayana Murthy.
Tributes from the film industry poured in following the news of his passing, with colleagues remembering him as a senior cameraman who served as a rare bridge between two entirely different eras of Indian cinema. That is, perhaps, the finest thing one can say of any craftsman: he kept up, and he brought others along with him.
