CINEMA PAR EXCELLENCE: A scene from Pather Panchali

Film critic and documentary filmmaker Huned Contractor took back with him a treasure of ?once in a lifetime? experiences from the Class of ?90 of the film appreciation (FA) course that is jointly conducted by the National Film Archives of India (NFAI) and the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) in Pune every year. The amazing fleet of world classics that was lined up for screening, the convergence of talented filmmakers sharing their experiences with the students, the unbelievable ?morning to midnight? classes are some of his favourites memories of the course.

The FA course has many a celebrated alum. Apart from Ashutosh Gowarikar who went on to make films like Lagaan and Swades, there are others like Sri Lanka?s Vimukthi Jayasundara, who won the Camera d?Or award this year at Cannes for his film, The Forsaken Land, well-known Marathi theatre actress Shravani Deodhar, and one of Mumbai?s most respected film critics, Sanjit Narvekar.

So what is it that makes the course so special? ?The FA course broadens your understanding of world cinema. It helps you to integrate your understanding about how the different elements come together in an artistic way to make a single product,? says Contractor, who took to film criticism after doing the course. NFAI director K.S. Shashidharan feels the structure of the module has brought it closer to students? hearts. ?We don?t teach film making at all, the FA course is all about the aesthetics of cinema. Ever since 1974, when it was started, bright students with an interest in the art of cinema have seen this course as a platform to sharpen their sensibilities before venturing into the celluloid world,? he asserts.

Those who have done the course, whether it?s Contractor or even Gowariker, describe it in one word ? intensive. Four rigorous weeks, over 70 screenings of classics -? from Satyajit Ray?s Pather Panchali to Akira Kurosawa?s Ran ? daily class analyses of documentaries and short films and interactive sessions with filmmakers, classes from 9 am till midnight for six days a week, and a dose of the basic concepts of cinema, film theory and the relation of films with other arts and culture studies ? these are the vital statistics of the FA course for you. As Pratik Ghosh, a Calcutta journalist who took the course this year puts it, ?It?s a punishing schedule, one is absolutely inundated with information. Besides familiarising yourself with film theories, you get to watch at least three classics a day. That?s unbelievable.?

Contractor agrees. ?The FA course is undoubtedly the only one of its kind packing in as it does an astounding collection of world classics. This in itself makes it memorable. There isn?t another film appreciation course in the country that offers such an intensive module. Besides, it has also kept in touch with the changes in world cinema in terms of trends and genres,? he says.

Though it?s not like a typical university course where you are awarded a degree at the end of the programme, the FA course is recognised by the Union ministry of information and broadcasting, which also allocates funds for it. It?s held in May every year at the Archives and outstation students are put up at the FTII hostels. The course fee is Rs 5,000. There are only 60 seats for which more than 500 people apply and the number just keeps increasing every year, says FTII professor Suresh Chhabria, who is also the co-ordinator of the course. But the selection process is unique, as it is one place where your fate isn?t decided by your qualifications.

Explains Chhabria, ?We have a screening committee that sees the overall profile of a student. The emphasis, though, is always on people who stand to gain something from the course and who can put the knowledge gained here to good use. Teachers, journalists and artists, for instance, are always given preference. But the challenge is to have a heterogeneous group representing all sections of the society.?

Contractor too feels that only people with genuine interest in cinema should go for the course. ?It is meant for those who have more than just a passing interest in cinema and are aware of the fact that films are not about entertainment but have a much larger contribution to make in shaping our thinking and social developments,? he says.

There are plans to conduct the course in different parts of the country, including Calcutta. ?But so far, nothing concrete has happened. The regional film institutes need to show some interest too. But we?ll keep trying,? says Shahidharan.