The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting on Tuesday advised the National Film Archives of India (NFAI) to reach out to major Universities across the country for the introduction of short and long term courses in film studies incorporating the subject of film archiving and preservation.
Talking to media persons on the sides of a high-level committee meeting on National Film Heritage Mission (NFHM) held at the NFAI, Pune, Ajay Mittal, Secretary, Information & Broadcasting Ministry, said: “NFAI should reach out to major Universities for short and long term courses in the area of film studies incorporating subject of film archiving and preservation. This would ensure building of skilled manpower in the niche area of film preservation”.
Underscoring the need for enhancing research on Indian cinema, Mittal said that the Government was exploring the possibility of extending NFAI’s research fellowship to the University level through formal institutional mechanisms.
Appreciating the efforts of officers at NFAI in implementing the National Film Heritage Mission, Mittal said that all necessary steps were being undertaken to involve international organisations and institutions to ensure that the project was implemented as per global standards. "We will augment the storage capacities of NFAI by creating new state of the art vaults on its premises," he said.