Assam filmmaker Bobby Sarma Baruah joins Venice jury for Asian cinema

Assam filmmaker Dr Bobby Sarma Baruah has been named a member of the jury that will evaluate and honour Asian films at the 83rd Venice International Film Festival, bringing her work as a filmmaker and film researcher to one of the world's most prominent cinema platforms.

Baruah is part of a three-member jury constituted by the Network for the Promotion of Asian Cinema (NETPAC), an international organisation that works to promote and recognise films from Asia and the Asia-Pacific region.

She will serve on the jury 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.

“Being part of the NETPAC jury at the Venice International Film Festival is an honour and an enriching experience. It has given me the opportunity to watch and engage closely with films from different countries, cultures and cinematic traditions across Asia,” Baruah said from Venice.

“As one of the three jury members, I look forward to exchanging perspectives and contributing to the recognition and promotion of significant Asian cinema,” she said.

For Baruah, the Venice assignment comes as another chapter in a filmmaking career closely connected with social realities, cultural identities and the distinctive landscapes of the Northeast.

A National Award-winning filmmaker, producer, scriptwriter and film researcher from Assam, Baruah's films Adomya, Sonar Baran Pakhi, Mishing and Sikaisal have received Silver Lotus honours at the National Film Awards.

Her latest film, Rador Pakhi, was featured in the Indian Panorama section of the 55th International Film Festival of India.

From making films to evaluating them

At Venice, Baruah's role shifts from filmmaker to evaluator as she joins fellow jurors in watching and assessing selected films from across the Asia-Pacific.

The jury's deliberations will look at the cinematic, thematic and cultural qualities of the films, bringing together perspectives from different film traditions.

The assignment also reflects Baruah's long association with film festivals. She has previously served on juries at several national and international festivals, including the National Film Awards, International Film Festival of India, Jeonju International Film Festival, Mumbai International Film Festival and International Film Festival of Kerala. She is also a member of NETPAC.

Her presence on the Venice jury places an Assam filmmaker in a wider international conversation on Asian cinema — a space where stories shaped by different languages, cultures, histories and social realities meet on the same screen.

Established in 1932, the Venice International Film Festival is the world's oldest film festival and one of the most influential international platforms for cinema. The annual event brings together filmmakers, actors, critics and film professionals from across the world.

For Baruah, the Venice assignment is therefore more than another festival appearance. It gives her an opportunity to closely engage with contemporary Asian filmmaking while bringing to the international platform the perspective of a filmmaker whose own work has been deeply rooted in Assam and the cultural realities of the Northeast.