Arijit Debnath

Arijit Debnath is a Bengali-Canadian filmmaker and animator. In an experimental cinematic practice that involves a tracing of cultural and diasporic identity, Arijit explores how personal, cultural and cinematic memory are intertwined. His methodology often incorporates an intimate interaction with archival footage (whether it be found or appropriated) through frame by frame animation techniques, which are juxtaposed with live action footage to create audio-visual collages that are experienced on a sensorial level. Arijit’s current research dwells on the ever shifting nature of diasporic memory across time and space, and how cultural artifacts like cinema, poetry, and literature from one’s native home can form as portals of connection through which cultural memory and identity can be awakened. 

Supervisors: Shira Avni & Jean-Claude Bustros

TAships: Introduction to Animation 1 & 2, Intermediate Animation, Filmmaking III, Image I

Research Interests

Cultural Identity, Memory, Cinematic Archives, Archival Practices, and Experimental Non-Fiction

Website: adebnath.com

Favourite Films: Rear Window (1954)/ Charulata (1964)/ Paris Texas (1984)