Film Institute Revives Lensight

Lensight, once a 'technical' journal for the celluloid professionals, has been reborn at the Pune-based Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) after about eight years. The new avatar of the publication will deal with a variety of facets of films and media, such as critical appreciation of films, personalities, music, and the dialectics of their organic interaction with society and its trends, according to FTII director Pankaj Rag.

The Institute had ceased publication in 2001 due to resource crunch. Mr. Rag, belonging to the 1990 IAS batch, took the decision to revive the journal immediately after he took over as Director in February last. This is part of his plans for the development of the Institute, which is to celebrate its Golden Jubilee year in 2010.

The bi-lingual journal was re-launched with contributions in English and Hindi from movie veterans, faculty, and students of the Institute. Govind Nihalani, an alumnus of the FTII, formally released the journal for publication recently, saying this would meet the expectations of both, the serious students of Indian cinema and moviegoers.

The 96-page issue covers a wide range of topics focussed on films such as critical evaluation of memorable Hindi films of the 1950s and 1960s, Renoir's masterpiece 'Rules of the Game', examination of 'looking' and 'image making' in literature, theatre and cinema through the story of Sakuntala.

The journal has articles covering experience of cinema through 'A space Odyssey', struggles faced during the making of award winning films, reflection on writing in films and a commentary on films and social change. Also included are articles on V Shantaram, and Nabendu Ghosh, and interviews with Rajkumar Hirani and Enoch Daniels and a serious discourse on recorded film music by editor Pankaj Rag himself.

Journal's Associate Editor Chandrashekhar Joshi says concerted efforts are being made to invite contributions from veterans in the profession and academia from different parts of the country. The plan is to publish at least three issues every year.

Single issue is priced at Rs 100 and annual subscription is Rs 300. For details: email: lensight@ftii.com

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