Guwahati: National Award-winning filmmaker and film researcher Dr Bobby Sarma Baruah has been selected as a member of the NETPAC jury at the 83rd Venice International Film Festival, marking another international recognition for the filmmaker from Assam.
Baruah will serve on the three-member jury of the Network for the Promotion of Asian Cinema (NETPAC), alongside Ed Lejano, artistic director of the QCinema International Film Festival, and Asel Sherniyazova, co-founder and managing director of the Asian World Film Festival.
NETPAC, an international organisation established in 1990, works to promote and recognise Asian and Asia-Pacific cinema and filmmakers.
Speaking from Venice, Baruah described her selection to the jury as an honour and an opportunity to engage with films representing diverse cultures and cinematic traditions across Asia.
As a member of the jury, Baruah will watch and assess selected films alongside the other jury members, with the deliberations focusing on their cinematic, thematic and cultural merits.
A filmmaker, producer, scriptwriter and film researcher, Baruah is known for works exploring social realities and cultural landscapes. Her films Adomya, Sonar Baran Pakhi, Mishing and Sikaisal have received Silver Lotus honours at the National Film Awards.
Her latest film, Rador Pakhi, was selected for the Indian Panorama section of the 55th International Film Festival of India.
Baruah has previously served on the juries of several national and international film festivals, including the National Film Awards, International Film Festival of India (IFFI), Jeonju International Film Festival, Mumbai International Film Festival (MIFF) and International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK). She is also a member of NETPAC.
The Venice International Film Festival, founded in 1932, is the world’s oldest film festival and one of the major international platforms for cinema.
Her appointment to the NETPAC jury adds another international engagement to Baruah’s career and gives her an opportunity to participate in discussions and deliberations on contemporary Asian cinema at one of the world’s most prominent film festivals.