Taipei, March 15 (CNA) Veteran cinematographer Lin Tsan-ting (林贊庭) has passed away at the age of 94, Taiwan’s Chinese Society of Cinematographers (CSC) confirmed on Saturday.
Lin died on Friday at Taipei’s Tri-Service General Hospital where he was admitted after suffering a heart attack, the CSC said.
Lin was one of the recipients of a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 58th Golden Horse Awards in 2021 alongside director Tsai Yang-ming (蔡揚名).
The late cinematographer, best known for working on Taiwanese Hoklo films, was the first cinematographer to receive the Golden Horse Lifetime Achievement Award.
He began his career in 1949 as one of the first apprentices at Agriculture Education Motion Pictures, which evolved into the Central Motion Picture Corp. in 1954.
Learning from techniques that were being used in Japan, Lin helped to convert Taiwan’s film industry from black and white to color, the committee said.
During his career, he collaborated with renowned director Pai Ching-jui (白景瑞) on several reputable films such as “Lonely Seventeen” (寂寞的十七歲) and “Home Sweet Home” (家在台北).
Over the years, Lin worked on more than 130 films and won four Golden Horse Awards for Best Cinematography for the movies “Lonely Seventeen,” “Love Begins Here” (愛的天地), “Girlfriend” (女朋友), and “The Victory” (梅花).
He also won Best Cinematography at the Asia Pacific Film Festival for “Falling Snowflakes” (雪花片片).
On Saturday, the CSC added that Lin played a crucial role in mentoring modern cinematography greats the likes of Mark Lee Ping-bing (李屏賓) on top of selflessly cultivating future talents through university lectures.
Lin’s family is currently in the process of arranging his funeral, the CSC said.
