Andrij Parekh Wins Emmy Award for Directing HBO Series ‘Succession’

Andrij Parekh, an Indian-American cinematographer, won the Primetime Emmy Award for directing the ‘Hunting’ episode of HBO’s drama series ‘Succession’. He is among several other Indian-Americans who have taken home the prestigious prize in the past, including actor, author and comedian Aziz Ansari, as well as Hasan Minhaj of the highly acclaimed show Patriot Act with Hasan Minhaj.

Parekh’s win marked the second award for team ‘Succession’ after, writer Jesse Armstrong won the Emmy for writing the ‘This Is Not for Tears’ episode. The 72nd Primetime Emmy Awards were originally slated to be held at Microsoft Theatre in Los Angeles. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it was decided that the ceremony will be held virtually from the actors’ homes across the US. The ceremony took place on September 20.

According to ANI, “Succession” is a satirical drama by Jesse Armstrong which revolves around a family of dysfunctional owners of a global media and hospitality empire. The show centers on their tussle for control over the company.

According to Wikipedia, Parekh was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts, of Gujarati and Ukrainian descent. He went to high school in Minnesota and attended Carleton College, where he graduated in 1994 with a degree in sociology/anthropology and a minor in media studies.

He went on to study cinematography at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, earning an MFA in 2001, and the FAMU film school in Prague.

While studying at NYU, he was nominated for the 1998 Eastman Excellence in Cinematography award, and in 2001, he won an honorable mention from the American Society of Cinematographers in the “Heritage Award” category.

Parekh currently lives and works in New York City, shooting features and music videos, according to Wikipedia. In 2004 he was named one of Filmmaker Magazine’s “25 New Faces of Indie Film” and was included as one of Variety’s “Ten Cinematographers to Watch.” Recently, he was invited to join the American Society of Cinematographers. Parekh is an American cinematographer of Indian and Ukranian heritage. According to his bio available on the Web, Parekh was born in 1971 in Cambridge, Massachusetts, to an Indian father and Ukranian mother. He graduated in 1994 with a degree in sociology/anthropology and a minor in media studies.

He studied cinematography at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts (MFA, 2001) and the FAMU film school in Prague. In 2001, he won an honorable mention from the American Society of Cinematographers in the “Heritage Award” category.

In 2004, Parekh was named one of Filmmaker Magazine’s “25 New Faces of Indie Film” and was included as one of Variety’s “Ten Cinematographers to Watch.”

He is married to French-American film director and screenwriter Sophie Barthes, who is best known for her 2009 film ‘Cold Souls’.

Besides ‘Succession’, some of his other notable works include ‘13 Reasons Why’ (2017) Episodes: “Tape 1 Side A,” “Tape 1 Side B”, and ‘Watchmen’ Episode: “If You Don’t Like My Story, Write Your Own” to name a few.