Kolkata: The animation industry in India is poised to be a major money spinner, said Information and Broadcasting Minister Ambika Soni and advised students of the Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute (SRFTI) to take up studies on animation and production management.
‘Any institute which ceases to be resilient... I think there will be question marks on how successful that institute will be considered by the succeeding generation. It is always good to innovate,’ said Soni addressing the convocation at the institute.
‘Don’t think that animation is just a dilution or production course is not something worthwhile. Study a little deeper look beyond your institute to the outside world. Billions and billions of dollars are going to be earned by this particular industry,’ she said.
Soni added that she feels that animation industry is going to be the next big thing after IT industry and the country can also have a lion’s share in this sector.
The central government is planning to digitise 3,000 films including classics of Satyajit Ray and Mrinal Sen under the National Film Heritage Mission (NFHM), Information and Broadcasting Minister Ambika Soni said .“The government has moved forward to set up a National Film Heritage Mission (NFHM). We have been given Rs.660 crore for this endeavour. It will also help in preserving the invaluable prints in possession of the information ministry and other state governments. The greatest benefit of this mission will be to enable the preservation of the invaluable film heritage,” Soni said.
She said 3,000 classics will be acquired and digitised so that the films are available to the masses at affordable rates.
“As a part of the process, 3,000 films will be acquired and digitised. The 3,000 prints will be restored and transferred to intra negatives under the scheme and will be available at affordable rates to the public,” said Soni at the convocation of Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute (SRFTI).
“As part of the restoration process, the ministry restored the print of Mrinal Sen`s classic “Khandar”. The restored print was shown at a special screening in Cannes International Film Festival,” said Soni, adding they will now be looking to restore the classics of maestro Satyajit Ray.
The two state-owned film institutes in the country - Film & Television Institute of India (FTII) in Pune and Satyajit Ray Film & Television Institute (SRFTI) in Kolkata - will be made institutes of national importance, enabling the two institutes to obtain more funds and its students to sport a bigger brand.
While FTII, which has functioned professionally since 1960 and churned out quality students, has earned itself the reputation of being one of the top cine institutes in Asia, administrative problems have dogged SRFTI since inception in 1992, stunting its growth. That only the third convocation of a two-decade-old institute was held on Friday is a measure of SRFTI’s turbulent record.
Setting the unremarkable past aside, Union minister for information and broadcasting Ambika Soni, the chief guest at the convocation, said the government would soon initiate the process of upgrading the institutes to cater to the ever-increasing, highly-skilled and specialized manpower requirement of the film and TV industry.
“Measures are being taken to declare FTII and SRFTI institutions of national importance through an Act of the Parliament,” she said. On being quizzed if the bill would be tabled in the winter session, Soni declined to offer a time frame. “I may want to bring it during the next parliament session. But there are lots of pending bills with the parliamentary affairs minister.”
Students though, voiced their discontent over the ‘mismanagement’ and demanded full-time senior functionaries. Tamal Chakraborty, one of the pass-outs who received his diploma, was severely critical of the management.
“Here, nobody takes care of the syllabus. Courses do not finish on time. The curtailment of syllabus hurts students,” he pointed out.
Soni said she had heard the grievances and would go through them in detail later. Sunny Lahiri, general secretary of the apolitical SRFTI Students’ Union, said members would go to Delhi soon to discuss the problems with the minister and will try to find out solutions to all problems of the students.
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Courtesy DAILYPOST CHANDIGARH,
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