Pune's Film and Television Institute of India today announced several new short courses on film-making to be organised across the country.
The first such course by the country's premier film school will be conducted in Guwahati this month, FTII chairman Gajendra Chauhan said.
"The number of seats in FTII is very limited, which means only few students can benefit from it. However the requirement is for a large number of professionals. The industry is no longer limited to Mumbai only. It all over the country and new courses will aim to skill people all over the country," Mr Chauhan said.
Short courses will cover specific areas such as screen-play writing, acting and cinematography.
"Depending on the available resources, and the response we get, we will move to more cities," he said.
He also said that the aim of these short courses was to help talented individuals across the country hone their skills.
Mr Chauhan also said that there was a growing consensus that the FTII should be able to sustain itself, and thus explore more avenues to raise resources. He said that a 20 per cent hike in course fees had already been effected and that the hostel fees for students staying on campus had been increased to Rs. 14000 from Rs. 12000 annually.
Several senior FTII officials, including Mr Chauhan, yesterday met Information and Broadcasting Minister M Venkaiah Naidu and briefed him on the various steps taken recently. Mr Chauhan also met with Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Rajyavardhan Rathore, and official said.
Mr Chauhan -- a former TV actor best remembered for playing the role of 'Yudhisthir' in the TV adaptation of Mahabharata -- was appointed as FTII chairperson last year, amidst a massive controversy. Students of the institute went on a strike for several weeks to protest his appointment.