Aruna Vasudev
Indian scholar and film critic (1936–2024)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Aruna Vasudev (1 November 1936[1] – 5 September 2024) was an Indian critic, author, editor, painter, and maker of documentaries who was considered an eminent scholar on Asian cinema,[2][3] and was described as the "mother of Asian Cinema".[4]
Aruna Vasudev | |
|---|---|
Vasudev in 2010 | |
| Born | 1 November 1936 |
| Died | 5 September 2024 (aged 87) |
| Spouse | Sunil Roy (died 1993) |
| Children | One |
Early life and education
A younger sister of Uma Vasudeva, she was born in 1936. After marrying Sunil Kumar Roy, an Indian diplomat, she chose to retain her maiden name.[5]
His Excellency Sunil Roy died in New York from cancer in 1993, having previously served as Indian Ambassador to Poland, then Mexico, and High Commissioner to Nigeria.[6]
In the early 1960s, she attended film classes in New York where her father was working and created a number of short documentaries after her return to India. She received a doctorate from the University of Paris on cinema and censorship.[7] Her PhD thesis was published as a book titled Liberty and Licence in the Indian Cinema in 1979.[2]
Career
Vasudev recently served as director of Osian's-Connoisseurs of Art Private Limited.[3][8] She was also one of the Trustees of the Public Service Broadcasting Trust in India.[9]
She started as a greenhorn helping in the makeup rooms of Doordarsan in 1960.[10]
She launched Cinemaya in 1988 as a publication that showcases filmmakers from Asia. In 1991, she founded the internationally renowned NETPAC as an organisation to forward the cause of Asian films.[5]
From 1990, she was the President or Jury Member of international film festivals including Karlovy Vary, Locarno, Cannes (Camera d'Or), Las Palmas, Pusan, Singapore, Fajr (Tehran), and Antalya.
Death
On 5 September 2024, it was announced that Vasudev had died at the age of 87.[11]
Honours and awards
Honours
Appointed Cavaliere della Stella della Solidarietà Italiana in 2004,[12] in 2019 Vasudev was honoured by the French Government as Officier des Arts et des Lettres,[13] the highest accolades from two major film-producing countries, Italy and France.[5]
Awards
In 1997, Vasudev won the Korean Cinema Award at the Pusan International Film Festival.
In 2006, Vasudev received a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Cinemanila International Film Festival.
In 2015, Vasudev was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2nd edition of the International Film Festival of Colombo[14] for her contributions towards putting Asian cinema on the international map.[15] At the Hawaii International Film Festival the same year, Vasudev won a Vision in Film Award.
The Tripoli Film Festival[16] has named its prize for Best Writing on Cinema as the “Aruna Vasudev Award”.[4]