Indian Oscar-nominated filmmaker turns camera on his cancer

New Delhi: Indian documentary filmmaker Shaunak Sen's latest project, untitled, began as a coping mechanism following his own cancer diagnosis. The film, centered on two brothers running a self-funded clinic for birds suffering from Delhi's pollution, won top documentary awards at Sundance and Cannes in 2022. Sen, 39, told AFP that the project served to distance himself from the fear of his own illness, which he attributes to environmental factors like air pollution.

The city of New Delhi, which he grew up in, is now ranked among the world's most polluted capitals, with a 2024 study linking 3.8 million deaths in India between 2009 and 2019 to air pollution. Sen chose to focus on the surgeon rather than himself in the film, describing the surgeon's meditative nature as a way to approach the subject matter.

The film also reflects Sen's relationship with his hometown, presenting the city as the "wallpaper" of his personal narrative. Sen's ethnographic filmmaking style involves long-term shoots to capture meaningful insights. He has undergone surgery but continues his recovery journey, using the film as a means to indirectly confront his illness.