Uttarakhand may get new film institute by April ’20

State govt is in process of finalising land: Sources

Uttrakhand is likely to get a regional Film and Television Institute of India (FTTI) like institute to promote different aspects of film making before the end of April 2020. This step will spread film literacy and promote better understanding of cinema in the hill state.

Highly-placed sources in the Uttarakhand government confirmed that state government and Ministry of Information and Broadcasting are working on to finalise the blueprint to set up the institute in the hill state soon.

The upcoming institute will be the first of it’s kind in North India and third in the country after FTII, Pune and Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute (SRFTI), Kolkata. Uttarakhand has been declared as the Most FilmFriendly State at 66th National Film Awards announced recently. Sources confirmed that a letter had been written by the Uttarakhand chief minister to the then I&B minister Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore in July last year requesting him to set up an institute like FTII in Uttrakhand.

The latter stated that the state is having talents who have got fame in the different aspects of filmmaking in national and international level but lack of resources and not having any institute that is either run by government or private agency in the state is leaving them without any guidance.

“Both institutions (FTII) Pune and Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute (SRFTI) in Kolkata are under the I&B ministry, where student from across the courtly are studying and these institutions are having limited seats and majority of the students can not get admission there. Also it is to be noted that there is no such institute like FTII and SRFTI in north India,” wrote Trivendra Singh Rawat in the said letter.

“This institute not only will be beneficial for the students of Uttrakhand but also helpful for Himachal, Punjab, Haryana, Kashmir, Delhi, Rajasthan and other northern India states,” letter stated.

“The CM is positively working on this project. The state government is in a process to finalising the land for the upcoming institute as some are suggesting to set up the institution in plan areas like Dehradun, or Nanital due to the air-connectivity while others are asking to use border areas so that remote area students can get maximum exposure through this institution” said the source.

“If FTII gets permission from the Centre, and if basic infrastructure for an Institute is made available, then one year courses in can be started in 6-8 months,” said FTII director Bhupendra Kainthola.

Uttarakhand has bagged the honour of being the best film promotion friendly state in the country.