Adoor Gopalakrishnan extended the Indian New Wave to Malayalam cinema with his maiden feature film "Swayamvaram" in 1972. Long after the Golden Age of Indian cinema, Malayalam cinema experienced its own 'Golden Age' in the 1980s and early 1990s. Some of the most acclaimed Indian filmmakers at the time were from the Malayalam industry, including Adoor Gopalakrishnan, K. P. Kumaran, G. Aravindan, John Abraham, Padmarajan, Bharathan, T. V. Chandran and Shaji N. Karun. Gopalakrishnan, who is often considered to be Satyajit Ray's spiritual heir, directed some of his most acclaimed films during this period, including "Elippathayam" (1981) which won the Sutherland Trophy at the London Film Festival, as well as "Mathilukal" (1989) which won major prizes at the Venice Film Festival. Shaji N. Karun's debut film "Piravi" (1989) won the Camera d'Or at the 1989 Cannes Film Festival, while his second film "Swaham" (1994) was in competition for the Palme d'Or at the 1994 Cannes Film Festival. His third film "Vanaprastham" (1999) was also selected to Cannes Film Festival, making him the only Indian film maker who could take consecutively three films to Cannes.