History of Northeast’s cinema unveiled at India Film Festival of Alberta in Canada
Published by Bloomsbury, the book covers history of entire North-Eastern states
Actor Adil Hussain and Filmmaker Rima Das launching book
A History of India's North-East Cinema: Deconstructing the Stereotypes, a landmark work by film historian and filmmaker Parthajit Baruah, was released at the India Film Festival of Alberta (IFFA) in Canada. The event, held at the Citadel Theatre in Edmonton, was jointly inaugurated by acchimed ac tor Adil Hussain and internationally recognised filmmaker Rima Das on September 6.
Published by Bloomsbury Academic, the book is a comprehensive examination of cinema across the eight states of Northeast India. While it traces the history of films in the region, it also addresses larger cultural and political questions that have shaped both the representation and reception of the North east within India and abroad.
At its core, the book explores the peripheral status and identity crisis faced by the people of the region in mainland India, often constructed as 'foreigners' or 'outsiders' because of their distinct physical features. It also examines how Bollywood has historically constructed and misrepresented the Northeast in popular Hindi cinema, reinforcing stereo-types and reducing its cultural diversity to simplistic portrayals.
Adding to its scholarly weight, the book features a rare collection of film posters, newspaper advertisements, photographs, letters and documents many drawn from personal archives bringing alive both the public and private dimensions of film-making in the region.
Speaking at the release, Adil Hussain praised the book's depth, saying, "It covers the history of eight Northeastern states comprehensively," while stressing the importance of placing these narratives within India's broader cultural landscape. Rima Das highlighted the book's potential to reach international readers, noting that it will provide a clearer picture of the region's cinema and culture.
For Baruah, the occasion was deeply personal. "It is an emotional moment for me because my book has been inaugurated abroad, which is beyond my imagination. I am immensely grateful to the executive director of IFFA, Madhan Selvaraj," he said.
The Canadian launch follows an earlier release at the Guwahati Asian Film Festival, inaugurated by Sri Lankan filmmaker Prasanna Vithanage,
Baruah, regarded as one of the foremost scholars of Indian cinema from the Northeast, has earlier authored The Cinema of Adoor Gopalakrishnan (2016) and under taken research projects on Assamese cinema at the National Film Archive of India.
As a filmmaker, he has directed 13 documentaries and one feature film, The Nellie Story (2023), engaging with socio-political issues of Assam and the region.