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More takers for regional film appreciation course, says Satish Jakatdar, founder, Chitrapat Rasaswad
Chitrapat Rasaswad began in Pune, Maharashtra, in 2005. It was launched to bring back the old glory of big-screen films in the day of DVD and Internet and to screen classic films and discuss it with the audience
Chitrapat Rasaswad, a film appreciation programme in Marathi, is in its 14th year with creator Satish Jakatdar, senior film critic and film programmer, working on last-minute queries and cancellations for the forthcoming programme beginning September 19-24.
“When we began the programme in collaboration with National Film Archive of India (NFAI), we never thought it would become popular,” said Jakatdar.
“The programme teaches you what to keep in mind while selecting good films, hence you need to know film language and grammar and that is what we try to cover in the one-week course. The course outline is more about introduction to the film,” he said.
The concept of conducting such a regional course was floated by film-maker Shyam Benegal in the early 2000s. At that time, there was only one film appreciation course on a national level in English in Pune. Benegal is the face behind the Federation of Film Societies starting a course in a regional language, to spread film culture in 2004, said Jakatdar.
Chitrapat Rasaswad began in Pune, Maharashtra, in 2005. It was launched to bring back the old glory of big-screen films in the day of DVD and Internet and to screen classic films and discuss it with the audience. The course later covered cinema in depth, its history and classic cinema all within a week. It is an introductory course for those interested in making a short film, an aspirant to Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), film critics, reviewers and even retired film buff, he said.
The course has director Vikas Desai; Ujwal Nirgudkar, first Indian to be selected as a member of the Oscar Academy under the technical advisor branch; director Anupam Barve; film critic Shyamla Vanarase and Sudhir Nandgaonkar, president of the International Federation of Film Critics (FIPRESCI, short for Fédération Internationale de la Presse Cinématographique) India as part of the programme.
“When we began the course, we had a large number of people from Pune, but over the years, the ratio has changed. This year there are more than 200 people from parts of Maharashtra waiting to get shortlisted for a course which has only 100 seats,” said Jakatdar. The added attraction for this film appreciation course is the closing where a new film is shown and discussed along with its director in person. Participants get to test their knowledge of cinema that they have acquired over a week.
“This has been one of the successful film appreciation course over the years where, being in Marathi, the response has been overwhelming. It also gives the much-needed encouragement to have cinema culture in rural area,” said Prakash Magdum, director, NFAI and active partner in holding the course at their venue.
The week-long film appreciation course will be held from September 19 to 24 and the deadline for submission of application is September 1.
