Premendra Mazumder


Premendra Mazumder is a Film Society Activist, Film Critic, Curator, Film Festival Expert and Author. He started his journey as the film society activist in 1977 and worked from its grass root level to apex level for more than four decades. Presently he is holding the posts of the Vice President of the Federation of Film Societies of India and Asia Pacific Secretary of the International Federation of Film Societies.
He works as the jury member, advisor, curator, consultant, programmer and correspondent for several film festivals in Asia, Europe, Africa, Latin America, USA and Canada.
He is writing on cinema since 1980 and joined the India Chapter of the International Federation of Film Critics- FIPRESCI in 2000. Presently he is holding the posts of the General Secretary of FIPRESCI-India and the Editor of FIPRESCI-India's Quarterly Film Journal E-CineIndia.
He has traveled extensively in India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, South Korea, China, Mongolia, Afghanistan, Tatarstan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Kurdistan, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Italy, Portugal, Croatia, Iraq, Canada, Brazil and other countries on different assignments on Cinema.
He has served as JURY Member in several international film festivals like Busan International Film Festival South Korea, Cairo International Film Festival, Ismailia International Festival for Documentary & Short Films Egypt, Canada, Slemani International Film Festival Kurdistan Iraq, Kara Film Festival Karachi, Shaken's Stars Almaty, Abu Dhabi Film Festival, Evora International Film Festival for Shorts & Documentaries FIKE Portugal, Kazan International Festival of Muslim Cinema Russia, Nepal International Film Festival, Kathmandu International Mountain Film Festival, Jaffna International Cinema Festival Sri Lanka, Mumbai Academy of the Moving Image MAMI, Mumbai International Film Festival MIFF, International Film Festival of Kerala, Bengaluru International Film Festival, Hyderabad International Film Festival, Jeevika Asian Livelihood Documentary Competition Delhi, SiGNS Film Festival Kerala, Aurangabad International Film Festival, Thrissur International Film Festival and several others.
Besides jury assignments he also participated many international conferences to speak on Indian Cinemas and Indian Film Industry.
Attended the General Assemblies of the International Federation of Film Societies in Italy for consecutive five years from 2003 to 2007 as the Special Representative. Also attended the General Assembly of the International Federation of Film Societies in Recife, Brazil in Dec 2010 and elected first time as the Secretary of the Asian Region of the International Federation of Film Societies.
Presented the key-note address on ‘Globalization and Cinema’ at the Seminar of the International Film Festival of Bangladesh Dhaka in Sept 2003.
Attended interactive sessions for promotion of cinema with the filmmakers of Mongolia and Ulaanbaatar City Government at Ulaanbaatar Film Festival, Mongolia in Apr 2005.
Participated as Speaker in the Seminar on ‘Human Rights and Cinema’ at Cairo International Film Festival in Nov 2008.
As a guest faculty attended the International Film Workshop of Nepal in Kathmandu and Dolakha in Feb 2012.
Delivered Lecture in the International Workshop for the Promotion of Myanmar Cinema in Yangon in Dec 2012.
Participated as the speaker in the National Seminars on Cinema & Society at Dibrugarh University in March 2012 and at Siliguri College in March 2013 both sponsored by the University Grants Commission.
As a Special Invitee attended Eurasia International Film Festival Almaty Kazakhstan in Sept 2007, Cairo International Film Festival in Nov 2012, Alexandria International Film Festival in April 2018 and Golden Rooster Awards Festival Xiamen China in Nov 2019.
He delivered a Lecture on ‘Image of Women in Indian Cinema’ in Subversive Festival Zagreb, Croatia in May 2011 where he also participated in the panel discussion on Indian Cinema and contributed several articles on Indian Cinemas including the theme article on the ‘Impact of Radical Political Movements on Indian Cinema’.
Participated the Celebration Ceremony of 100 Years of Indian Cinema as Speaker in Zagreb and Split at Croatia in May 2013 in collaboration with the Indian Embassy in Croatia.
Participated the First International Film Critics Week as its Curator of Cairo International Film Festival in Nov 2014.
He spoke in the Seminars on ‘Politics of Cinema and Social Dynamics’ and ‘Trends in South Asian Independent Cinema’ in Kathmandu on the occasion of the Kathmandu International Mountain Film Festival in Dec 2015.
Participated the Asian Film Critics Conference in Dhaka International Film Festival in Jan 2018 and Jan 2019.
Delivered Lecture on ‘Indian Cinema: Bollywood & Beyond’ in the Film Market of the Eurasia International Film Festival at Astana, Kazakhstan in July 2018.
Presented Indian Cinema section in the Carthage Film Festival Tunisia in Nov 2018 hosted by the Indian Embassy in Tunisia and spoke in the seminars on Indian Cinema in the Manouba University, Tunisia.
He conducted a four-days workshop on cinema in Kabul, Afghanistan in first week of July 2019 and also conducted another three-days workshop on cinema in Dushanbe, Tajikistan in last week of July 2019.
Participated seminars, symposiums, workshops, discussions in Chennai International Film Festival, Third Eye Asian Film Festival Mumbai, Bengaluru International Film Festival, Hyderabad International Film Festival, Assam International Film Festival, Guwahati International Film Festival, Kalinga International Film Festival, Kashmir World Film Festival, Bodhisattava International Film Festival and others.
Inaugurated many film festivals. film events and film societies, during last two decades.

Writings on Cinema

Premendra Mazumder is the Editor of the English Quarterly Online Film Journal E-CineIndia published by FIPRESCI-India
He has authored, contributed, edited and co-edited the following Publications on Cinema:
His thoughts on cinema have been published in various film magazines, daily newspapers and periodicals like:
Other than cinema he also writes on other various issues including creative writings like essays, plays and stories.
He has Authored/Edited following Books and Journals:
His following plays were staged by a couple of Kolkata based theater groups from 2002 onward: