Film and Television Institute of India

The institute was established as the Film Institute of India in Pune in 1960 by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting on the recommendation of the Film Enquiry Committee. The committee, headed by SK Patil, a cabinet minister in the central government, and comprising prominent film industry figures like BN Sircar and V. Shantaram, recommended the creation of a film school. Courses began in 1961 on the premises of the erstwhile Prabhat Film Company in Pune.Film director, screenwriter, and actor Gajanan Jagirdar served as the first director (then principal) of the institute from 1961 to 1962. In 1967, the institute launched its first film appreciation course, a one-month residential program with Satish Bahadur as course director and Marie Seton as the main instructor. In 1971, the institute was renamed the 'Film and Television Institute of India' (FTII) with the addition of in-service training programs for Doordarshan, India's public service broadcaster. The Television Training wing, which was earlier functioning in New Delhi, shifted to Pune in 1974. Thereafter, the institute became fully aided by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. In July 2011, Information and Broadcasting Minister Ambika Soni said that a bill in Parliament to develop the FTII into a 'Centre of Excellence' would be introduced. This would enable the institute to enjoy the academic status and privileges of a university. In February 2015, Gajendra Chauhan was appointed as the chairman of the institute, which sparked protests by students at the institute. On 18 August 2015, police — in a night-time crackdown — arrested striking students who confined FTII director Prashant Pathrabe and other staffers in his office for eight hours. The director claimed that students harassed and mentally tortured him. The students were released on bail. A video showing students surrounding the director and shouting was released by the management. In response, the students released an undated video of cops manhandling students and breaking glass in the director's office. The striking students vehemently condemned the act by the Pune police to come and arrest students past midnight. In 2017, FTII set up its Center for Open Learning (CFOL) with the objective of making quality cinema education accessible to a broader range of people.{{Cite news|title= Center For Open Learning|url=https://ftii.ac.in/p/about-cfol-1 ==Management==

The FTII is registered under Societies' Registration Act of 1860. The Society is headed by a president, who also functions as the chairman of the Governing Council, the Academic Council and the Standing Finance Committee. The Governing Council is constituted by election from among the members of the Society. The Governing Council is the apex body of the FTII and is responsible for making all major policy decisions of the institute. The council, in turn, appoints the Academic Council and the Standing Finance Committee, members of both of which are responsible for advising the FTII in policy matters related to academic affairs and financial matters. A director serves as the institute's executive head and implements its policies and programmes. Prashant Pathrabe, a 1992 batch officer of Indian Information Service (IIS), has been given temporary charge as director following end of the term of DJ Narain. Gajendra Chauhan, the designated chairman of the governing council, is yet to join, owing to protest overs his appointment. ==List of presidents==

• David Lean • Gajanan Jagirdar • Istvan Gaal • Mani Kaul • Asrani ==Notable alumni==

• Adoor Gopalakrishnan • Jaya Bachchan • Rakesh Pandey • Rakesh Ranjan • Sanjay Leela Bhansali • Tom Alter • K.G.George • John Abraham • Vimukthi Jayasundara • Anupama Srinivasan • Mithun Chakraborty • Talluri Rameshwari • Zarina Wahab • Navroze Contractor • Girish Kasaravalli • Naseeruddin Shah • Mukesh Khanna • Nimisha Pandey • P. Kumar Vasudev • Rajkumar Rao • Parvati Menon • Gaurav Dwivedi • Aruna Raje • Om Puri • K. U. Mohanan • Prakash Kutty • Anurag Sinha • Gaurav Chakrabarty • Vijay Verma • Nipon Goswami • Jaideep Ahlawat • Jahnu Barua • Shabana Azmi • Sunny Hinduja • Umesh Kulkarni • Anupam Kher • Balu Mahendra • Ranjan Palit • Anuya Y Bhagwat • Rasika Dugal • Rajat Kapoor • Sriram Raghavan • Rajkumar Hirani • Payal Kapadia, director • Shakti Kapoor • Gyan Sahay • Resul Pookutty • Jameela Malik • Shabnam Sukhdev • Anil Dhawan • Aakash Kaushik ==Wisdom Tree==

Wisdom Tree at FTII is an informal masterclass where students discuss topics with Filmmakers.Poet, lyricist and writer G.D. Madgulkar is believed to have given this natural structure the name "Wisdom Tree." ==References==