The FTII was established by the Government of India in the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting in 1960 on the recommendation of the Film Enquiry Committee for imparting training in the art and techniques of film making. The syllabus and the courses of studies were drawn up, in the original instance, upon the advice of Remy Tessonneau, Director of the Paris Institute des Hautes Etudes Cinematographiques (IDHEC) who paid a visit to Poona in March, 1961 and prepared a draft outline for teaching in five courses , viz. Screen-play, writing-cum-Direction, Motion Picture Photography, Sound Recording and Editing.

The Institute used to run the acting course too but was stopped in 1978 since the National School of Drama was running a parallel in New Delhi. Many of the present luminaries like Subhash Ghai, Shatrughan Sinha, Jaya Bacchan are products of this acting school.

Regular courses started from 1961. Television Training Wing which started functioning in 1971 in New Delhi moved to Pune in October 1974. The FTII became a society in October under the Registration of Societies Act of 1860, fully aided by the Government of India, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.

Aims & Objectives

The Film Wing of the Institute is intended to provide technical training in the production films and to undertake reserach in different fields connected with films

The main functions of the Institute are to :  (a) Impart training in all aspects of film production and other allied subjects (b) Grant diplomas and certificates to successful trainees who have completed the prescribed course and (c) Co-ordinate the activities for training of film technicians in India.

Nature Of Training

Intensive training, both theoretical and practical is imparted to students of various courses. The Institute is equipped with sophisticated sound recording equipments, editing machines and modern movie cameras. The Institute has two studios, three projection theatres. There is also a modern film processing lab for processing 35mm and 16mm black and white film.

The Institute library has a good collection of books on various subjects connected with film-making and subscribes to periodicals, both Indian and Foreign. There is also a Film Library containing films both Indian and foreign, apart from films made by the students. The Film Library has also a good collection of Indian and Western Music discs.

Merits

The FTII is the one of the five prestigious film schools left around the world who teach a proper film course funded by the Government. The other four are in Australia, Cuba (which is on the verge of closing), Germany, and, Moscow. The Institute is also the member of the famous CILECT organisation.

The Institute is more famous for serious practioners of Cinema. An institute is always judged by the quality of its products. Personalities who occupy position of eminence and success in the film industry speak in laudatory terms of the students who have worked with them after taking their diplomas from the Institute. In particular, the excellence of the technical training, given in the course of Motion Picture Photography, Sound Recording and Sound Engineering and Editing, has been largely extolled. Almost all diploma holders in these subjects have secured employment in Government Departments or in such areas of private enterprise where the skills are needed.

Every year as much as 80 per cent of the awards at the National Film Festivals are swept by the past or present products of the Institute. Some of the outstanding names who have passed out from the Institute are : Mani Kaul, Kumar Shahani, and Feroz Chinoi who have won distinction as directors of feature films. K.K. Mahajan, S.K. Nag and S.M. Dubey as motion picture cameramen. B.S. Biswas and Narendra Singh in sound recording, Subhash Ghai, Rehana Sultan, Navin Nischal, Anil Dhawan and Rakesh Pandey, who have distinguished themselves in motion picture acting. In the field of documentaries and short films, Chandrasekhar Nair, Yashpal Chaudhuri, Gautaman and Adur Gopalakrishnan have distinguished themselves. The Trade shows held by the Institute have kept the Industry informed about the kind of work which the students are capable of achieving and the measure of their talents and skill.

It is not a rare occurrence for a producer to visit the Institute and make a choice of promising actors and technicians. Such visits have often proved rewarding to the Industry and to the Institute. K.K. Mahajan has twice won the President's Gold Medal for the best black and white cinematography. Mani Kaul has twice won the Critic's prize for his films Uski Roti and Asad Ka Ek Din. Rehana Sultan was awarded the distinction of being chosen as the best actress at the National Film Festival. There are others who have received conspicuous recognition. Mention must be made of P. Kumar Vasudeo whose film - At Five Past Five won the Gandhi Award at the International Film Festival of India, 1969; T.C. John who won the National Award for the best film on National Integration; Prem Sagar who was awarded a special Bronze Medal at an International Film Festival in Santiago, Chile.

Foreigners come to the Institute, keeping in the mind the seriousness of the Campus and to conduct workshops in their specialized field. Some of the visiting faculty who have attended the Campus include the legendary French cameraman Raoul Coutard who was the moving force behind the French New Wave, the movement in 1954, in the world of cinema, which had a major influence on the global cinema - one of the latest being the Quentin Tarintino directed Pulp Fiction. Helena Sanders-Brahms, a practioner of the German Feminist Movement too, came down to the Campus. She was the director of the famous German film Germany, Pale Mother, as film about history of Germany through the eyes of the Director.

Budget

The annual budget of the Institute is around Rs 10 crore. Out of this the planned expenditure of Rs 2.1 crore is for the Film Wing and Rs 3.1 crore for the Television Wing . The non-planned expenditure is Rs 3.5 crore.

Miscellaneous