How We Used Crowdfunding to Acquire a Rare Bhupen Hazarika Film

A fragile film print can disappear quietly. It may sit in a private collection, a forgotten archive or a locked cupboard, vulnerable to humidity, heat and neglect. For Gauhati Cine Club, the chance to acquire a rare Bhupen Hazarika film was therefore more than a purchase. It was a race to preserve a significant part of Assam’s cinematic memory.

The film carried the artistic signature of Bhupen Hazarika, whose work connected music, politics, poetry and popular storytelling across Assam and South Asia. Its value could not be measured by commercial demand alone. We needed a way to bring people into the decision, explain why the film mattered and raise funds transparently.

Crowdfunding gave us that opportunity. Support arrived from Assam, other parts of India and members of the Assamese diaspora, including Australians who understood the importance of language, music and regional film culture. The campaign showed how a community can protect heritage when institutions, viewers and cultural organisations work together.

Why the film mattered

Bhupen Hazarika occupies a rare position in Indian cultural history. He was a filmmaker, composer, singer, lyricist, broadcaster and public intellectual whose work spoke directly to the lives of ordinary people. His films reflected Assam’s rivers, labour, displacement, social divisions and hopes for a fairer society.

The title we were seeking was difficult to locate and even harder to preserve. The available material was not a clean digital master ready for immediate screening. It was an ageing film element requiring careful inspection, secure transport, conservation advice and professional digitisation. Acquiring it was the first step in a longer preservation process.

For Gauhati Cine Club, the film also belonged to the history of collective viewing. Since 1962, the club has helped audiences encounter cinema as an art form rather than simply a commercial product. A rare Hazarika film belongs in that conversation, alongside Assamese classics, world cinema and new work by emerging filmmakers.

Turning cultural value into a public campaign

The central challenge was explaining the urgency without exaggeration. We prepared a campaign page that set out what was known about the film, why the print was important, what condition issues had been identified and how contributions would be used. We separated the acquisition cost from later expenses such as inspection, transport, storage and scanning.

This clarity helped people understand that they were supporting film preservation, not buying a ticket to a one-off event. We used stills, archival references and short messages from people familiar with Assamese cinema. Club members also shared personal memories of Hazarika’s music and films, making the appeal feel grounded in lived experience rather than institutional language.

The campaign was priced in Indian rupees, but we made it easy for overseas supporters to contribute in Australian dollars and other currencies. For people in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane, a modest online contribution could become part of a much larger collective effort. Some supporters told us they found the process refreshingly direct: no hard sell, just a clear explanation of what was at stake.

Building trust across borders

A crowdfunding campaign depends on trust long before the first payment arrives. We published regular updates, acknowledged contributions according to supporters’ preferences and explained delays when arrangements took longer than expected. Film acquisition involves owners, archivists, laboratories, legal permissions and transport providers, so a simple fundraising target does not mean a simple timetable.

We also took care with rights. Owning a physical print does not automatically grant permission to screen, reproduce or publish every associated image. We treated the acquisition as part of a responsible archival process, documenting provenance and discussing future access with the relevant rights holders.

That approach mattered to Australian supporters, where audiences are accustomed to asking how cultural projects are funded and governed. A community cinema in Melbourne or a film society in Adelaide may operate on modest budgets, but its audience still expects clear information about ticket revenue, donations and cultural partnerships. We applied the same standard to our appeal.

What Australian supporters brought to the project

The response from Australia reflected the strength of Assamese communities and wider South Asian cultural networks there. Supporters contributed from established metropolitan centres as well as from smaller communities, often sharing the campaign through WhatsApp groups, university circles and local cultural associations.

The timing also made a difference. An online campaign allowed people in Australia to participate without waiting for a local screening or navigating international bank transfers. Contributions could be made during an Australian evening while the campaign team in Assam continued its work the following morning. That rhythm made the project feel genuinely international without losing its local purpose.

We learned that Australian audiences respond well to practical language. Terms such as “chip in”, “community-backed” and “fair dinkum preservation” helped make the appeal approachable, while detailed information remained available for people who wanted to examine the archival and financial questions. We also avoided promising tax benefits, since a donation to a cultural group is not automatically tax-deductible in Australia.

The campaign reached people who might attend a Hindi, Bengali or Malayalam screening in Sydney, visit ACMI in Naarm, or support a regional film festival in Queensland. They did not need to be experts in Assamese cinema. Curiosity, family connection and a belief in preserving endangered film were enough.

From successful funding to long-term care

Reaching the target was a major moment, but the real work began afterwards. The film needed to be handled as an archival object. We arranged appropriate storage, documented its condition and worked with specialists on cleaning, repair assessment and high-quality digitisation. Every decision had to balance access with conservation.

A digital copy makes future screenings easier, but it does not replace the original. The physical element carries evidence of how the film was made, circulated and watched. Scratches, splices, reel markings and changes in density can tell part of its story. Preserving those details matters to researchers as much as presenting a clear image to a contemporary audience.

We are also considering how the film can return to public life. Screenings will be accompanied by discussion, contextual notes and, where appropriate, music and film scholarship. An Australian audience might encounter the restored work at a university cinema, a community festival or a season of South Asian film. Such screenings can connect Assam’s history with broader conversations about regional cinema, migration and cultural memory.

The project changed our understanding of crowdfunding. It was not simply a financial tool used when conventional funding was unavailable. It became a form of public participation in the archive. Every contribution helped demonstrate that Assamese cinema has an audience, a history and a future worth protecting.

Gauhati Cine Club continues to document the acquisition, preservation process and related film activities through its archive and publications. Follow the club’s updates, attend upcoming screenings and support the preservation of regional cinema. A contribution, a shared post or a conversation after a screening can help keep endangered films in circulation.