Firstpost presents CiNEmatters, a new podcast on the cinema of North East India and its socio-cultural nuances

CiNEmatters is a podcast that attempts to focus the spotlight on a lacuna in the discourse surrounding Indian entertainment — cinema from the North East, which continues to remain largely inaccessible in the age of OTT, when content in languages from across India and the world is just a click away on our screens. Through the podcast, we investigate why cinema from this part of the country makes its presence felt only in the festival circuits, and barely ever beyond. Cinema from the North East, much like the region itself, continues to challenge and dismantle its contested representation in and by the Indian “mainstream”, where it is mired in hackneyed, offensive stereotypes that have played a significant part in colouring popular perceptions about its people and their cultures.

With each episode — where we discuss a new film available for viewing online with our guests — we probe into the cultural and social ecosystems of the region and the language that a particular film has been made in, and go beyond its cinematic scope to explore its socio-political and historical nuances. With every episode of CiNEmatters, we also hope to inch closer to understanding why entertainment from this part of the country continues to remain largely elusive, besides examining some of its most interesting, yet lesser-known offerings. Tune into CiNEmatters on Firstpost’s YouTube channel, Spotify, Apple podcasts, Google podcasts, and wherever else you get your podcasts. Listen to more episodes of CiNEmatters  here . Subscribe to CiNEmatters on Spotify:  spoti.fi/3qRnAAc | Subscribe to CiNEmatters on Apple Podcasts:  http://apple.co/30txAUU | Subscribe to CiNEmatters on Google Podcasts:  bit.ly/3uP4jC3