Kainthola promises FTII students will graduate in 3 years

PUNE: With a new system in place at the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), the students of the 2011 batch are likely to pass out in May next year and the 2012-batch can finish their diplomas by December next year, FTII director Bhupendra Kainthola told TOI on Friday in a free-wheeling interview.
How has your interaction with students in the past one month since you took charge been?
My interaction with the students and faculty members has been good.Students come to me with their grievances and I ensure they are addressed properly. We have to take everyone along. At all meetings, there has to be a voice of dissent. Our student representatives were allowed to speak at the academic council meeting and no one bamboozled them. As a director, it will be my duty to ensure the current and future batch of students pass out in three years.
What transpired in the academic council meeting on June 1?
We discussed many agendas, most importantly the new syllabus and its components, including the credit system, elective subjects and study modules. So far, we had an annual evaluation of students' works. We plan to begin the semester system from the next year. When FTII becomes the Institute of National Importance, students will be able to pass out with a postgraduate degree and not just a diploma. The move will be helpful for people interested in research work in film and television.
What did the students oppose in the meeting?
Students praised the syllabus but had reservations on the credit and semester systems, shooting on 35mm film versus digital filmmaking and with the vision document. Only student representatives can talk about this in detail.
On appointment of a proctor and students' allegations of 'moral policing' on campus
Appointing a proctor is in the statute. Appointment of proctor is not an FTII invention because most established institutions in the country have one. As a director, I am saddled with quite a few responsibilities. We thought that for the safety, security and disciplinary requirements of the campus, we will have a proctor. A senior officer knowing the place will be appointed for the job. Where is moral policing in this? We are not telling our students to behave or dress in a certain way.
On vacating hostel rooms
Students should know they have to vacate hostel rooms once they are done with the course. It is logical. Some students of the 2008-batch are yet to vacate their rooms. Why should the administration send notices?
Why introduce 25 short-term courses and other long-term courses when the institute is struggling with backlogs and poor infrastructure?
We are looking at May next year for the 2011 batch to pass out, whereas the 2012 batch will finish their diploma films by December next year. The short-term courses are in the vision document, which is a roadmap. It will not be implemented in the course of next four to five years. These courses include prosthetics and makeup, music composing and choreography. These are allied courses. Students are apprehensive that core courses will be compromised with but we assure that they will remain as they are.
Kodak has restarted the distribution of 35mm films in India. FTII had projects based on 16mm film format. As the premier film school of the country, shouldn't you be teaching the new generation about the history of film?
Cinema is going digital. Sanjay Leela Bhansali's 'Bajirao Mastani' was shot digitally. Film laboratories are shutting down. We have reached an understanding that the 2011 batch will shoot on 35mm film and the 2012 batch will be the last to shoot on film. Digital cinema is the new thing.
How will corpus funds help students who want to do independent work?
The idea behind corpus fund is that alumni can put together funds that can act as an incubator for students who pass out. Who will give money to these students to make a film when they pass out? We will have a corpus fund for that.
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