Aruna Vasudev, Asian Cinema Stalwart, Dies Aged 88

Aruna Vasudev, a champion of Asian cinema and Network for the Promotion of Asian Cinema (NETPAC) founder, passed away on September 5 at the age of 88.

Born in India, Vasudev pursued photography in New York, before completing a doctorate in cinema in Paris. She founded and edited Delhi-based Asian film publication Cinemaya in 1988 before establishing NETPAC three years later.

Vasudev was appointed Cavaliere della Stella della Solidarietà Italiana in 2004, as well as the French honor of Officier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres in August 2019.

She served on juries at numerous international film festivals, including Cannes, Locarno, Busan, Karlovy Vary and Seoul.

Vasudev also authored books on Asian cinema, including “The New Indian Cinema” and “Being & Becoming: The Cinemas of Asia.”

“We are all orphans of our ‘Mother of Asian Cinema,’ as we all affectionately called her,” said Martine and Jean-Marc Thérouanne, directors and co-founders of the Festival International des Cinémas d’Asie de Vesoul. “Many memories, marking 23 years of friendship, come flooding back… She immediately took us under her protective wing.”