SRFTI to train actors and offer courses in animation

Kolkata, May 2 (PTI) To train aspiring actors in eastern India, the Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute (SRFTI) here would soon offer a full-time course in the subject. Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting C M Jatua today said within the next two years, SRFTI would offer an acting course at par with the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), Pune which has a two-year post-graduate diploma in acting. "Lot of people have come out from Pune with flying colours, thats why I have insisted that SRFTI should also have full-time acting course," he said at the institutes's convocation. Last December, SRFTI had started a six-months course in film acting. Established in 1995 as an autonomous society with funds from the I & B Ministry, SRFTI offers specialisation in four subjects - direction & screenplay, cinematography, audiography and editing. Pointing out that there are more than 850 TV channels in the country now, Jatua said if acting is given equal importance then the students will not find difficulty in getting good jobs. From this academic year, the institute will also offer courses in animation and production methodology, officials said.