Cinematographer Simran Sawhney shines at international festivals with sensitive, story-driven visuals and AFI FEST 2025 acclaim.
Simran Sawhney
Simran Sawhney is a cinematographer gaining visibility across international festival circuits. Her previous work includes the short film Knock, which has screened at festivals such as the Bengaluru International Short Film Festival, Kosice, Sweden Film Awards, Pune Short Film Festival, Venice Shorts, and several Indian selections, including New Delhi and Jaipur. Her work on the Patricas’ has also been recognised by the NATAS Production Awards and the Flickers’ Rhode Island Film Festival. A recipient of Amazon’s Innovation Storytelling Grant, Sawhney recently shot Behind the Mask, which screened at AFI FEST 2025.
At AFI FEST 2025, Behind the Mask drew attention for its clear, unforced visual tone. The lighting became a talking point during the post-screening discussion, where the moderator remarked that it was the best rehearsal lighting he had seen in recent years: a reflection of how closely the images aligned with the emotional temperature of the performances.
Across Sawhney’s work, there is a visible sensitivity in how the frames are shaped: not sentimental, but perceptive. Much of this comes from her instinct to prioritise story over display. Rather than imposing a fixed visual identity across films, she adapts her approach to fit the characters' interior worlds. People who have worked with her often describe her as a “chameleon,” adapting to the psychological space each story occupies.
Her decisions tend to emerge from observation rather than pre-set formulas. She watches how a moment unfolds and responds with what the scene needs, not what might look striking. “I’ve learned that prep is everything,” Sawhney says. “Sets move fast, and time costs money. The clearer I am going in, the better use we make of every minute.”
As one of the few women working consistently behind the camera, the sensitivity she brings is not framed as a corrective to the field but as an extension of how she sees. The attention to emotional detail, the willingness to let a frame hold still, the patience to let a character’s headspace dictate the image, all of it informs a visual language that mirrors the story rather than standing apart from it.
Her work carries a kind of quiet responsiveness. The scenes feel inhabited rather than staged, guided by an instinct to stay close to the characters’ inner movement. Instead of shaping the narrative from the outside, she lets the story pull the camera into its rhythm.
In a space that often leans toward spectacle, Sawhney’s approach stands out for how simply and precisely it stays with the truth of the moment. Her images don’t announce themselves; they pay attention. And in that attention lies their strength.
For many women in India who hope to enter cinematography but rarely see themselves represented in the craft, her presence is more than a milestone. It is an evidence that the landscape shifts only when artists refuse to step back. Her trajectory isn’t a slogan; it is proof that a door once barely open is beginning to move because women like her kept pushing.
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