• ISBN13: 9788126938919
• Binding: Hardcover
• Subject: Communication, Mass Media and Journalism
• Publisher: Atlantic Publishers & Distributors (P) Ltd
• Publisher Imprint: Atlantic
• Publication Date: March 6, 2024
• Pages: 322
• Original Price: INR 1295.0
• Language: English
• Edition: N/A
• Item Weight: 480 grams
• BISAC Subject(s): Industries / Media & Communications

First comprehensive account of the seven-decade-long journey of the Film Society Movement in India and how it helped Indian cinema come into its own as a global entity now. Till the 1950s, 80% of the films screened in India were from abroad and the country was not on the map of the global film world. Today, the country is dominated by Indian films and has a place in all International film festivals, competing against Hollywood with its Bollywood films. The massive transformation is credited to Indian film policies, new film institutions and the Film Society movement. But do such policies and movements have a future in the digital era? Celluloid to Digital: India’s Film Society Movement delves into this question in the OTT age.

V. K. Cherian is a former film society activist and a consultant, writer and filmmaker based in New Delhi. More about the author: www.vkcherian.in

• Introduction by Adoor Gopalakrishnan.................. v
• A Note by Shyam Benegal ...................................... ix
• List of Images.......................................................... xix
• List of Abbreviations............................................... xxiii
• Preface to the Second Edition.................................. xxvii
• Preface to the First Edition...................................... xxix
• 1. India Awaits a Pather Panchali................................ 1
• History of Film Appreciation................................... 3
• What Is a Film Society All About? .......................... 4
• Search for New Idioms in Films .............................. 6
• Chalachitra Akademi: An Unrealised Dream........... 10
• Arrival of Marie Seton
• the Guru of Film
• Appreciation............................................................ 14
• Pather Panchali: Defining India’s Idiom in Films!.... 17
• Film as an Art.......................................................... 20
• 2. From Calcutta Film Society to the Federation of
• Film Societies of India.............................................. 24
• The Infancy and Revival of CFS.............................. 26
• Film Societies in Other Cities................................... 28
• Political and Governmental Patronage..................... 38
• The Impact of Success of Pather Panchali................ 44
• Formation of Federation of Film Societies of India.. 46
• The New Wave and Nehruvian Challenge............... 49
• xiv Contents
• 3. Pioneering Leaders of the Film Society Movement... 53
• Satyajit Ray.............................................................. 54
• Indira Gandhi.......................................................... 58
• Marie Seton............................................................. 63
• Chidananda Das Gupta............................................ 67
• Vijaya Mulay........................................................... 69
• Khwaja Ahmad Abbas............................................. 73
• Ammu Swaminadhan............................................... 76
• Anil Srivastava......................................................... 78
• Professor Satish Bahadur.......................................... 81
• P.K. Nair.................................................................. 85
• Jehangir Bhownagary............................................... 89
• 4. The Networks of Films and Film Buffs.................... 97
• Appreciation of Films as an Art............................... 100
• Film Sources for Film Society’s Pre-FFSI Days......... 103
• The Central Film Library to NFAI-FFSI Network
• and FFC................................................................... 106
• Entry of Eastern Bloc and Others: Non-English
• Films........................................................................ 108
• New Wave Films Make an Entry............................. 111
• Alternate Networks of Film Screening..................... 115
• Academics and Professionals as Audience ............... 117
• Film Appreciation as an Act of Connoisseurs.......... 119
• 5. The Film Society Movement: As a New World
• View for Indian Films.............................................. 124
• The Film Society: A Personal Account..................... 124
• The Beginnings......................................................... 125
• Defining Film Societies and Cinephiles..................... 126
• A New World View Through Films......................... 128
• Towards a New Idiom in Indian Films.................... 130
• Contents xv
• The Political Patronage............................................ 131
• Creating Rasiks Out of Cinephiles........................... 133
• The University Film Council.................................... 135
• FTII-NFAI Summer Residency Churning Out
• Rasiks...................................................................... 136
• Uncensored Films as a Pull Factor........................... 140
• Influence of Other Movements: Literary, Library
• and Leftist................................................................ 142
• Film Societies as an Urban Act................................ 147
• 6. The Great Fall and Changing Viewing Habits in
• the Digital Era.......................................................... 152
• Pioneers in Urban Centres Leave FSM..................... 153
• Chitralekha: The Best Experiment of the Film
• Society Movement Fails........................................... 155
• Emergence of National and Satellite TV Channels... 157
• Fall of the Soviet Union and Eastern Bloc................ 159
• Film Society Movement at Crossroads..................... 160
• The Format Changes: Video, DVD and Internet...... 161
• Advent of the Internet: Online Dating to
• Pornography ........................................................... 168
• Arrival of OTT Platforms for Films......................... 170
• Film Societies Enter the Digital Era......................... 171
• Regional Responses to Crisis................................... 173
• Uncertain Future...................................................... 175
• 7. The Star Film Societies and Survivors...................... 177
• The Calcutta Film Society........................................ 178
• Cine Central and Cine Club of Calcutta.................. 181
• Forum for Film Studies and Allied Arts................... 182
• The Delhi Film Society............................................. 184
• Celluloid: The Film Society of Delhi University....... 186
• Film Forum, Bombay............................................... 188
• xvi Contents
• Prabhat Chitra Mandal, Mumbai............................ 190
• Suchitra Film Society, Bangalore.............................. 193
• Chitralekha Film Society, Thiruvananthapuram....... 195
• Chalachithra and Aswini Film Society..................... 200
• Banner Film Society: New Hope in Kerala............... 202
• Guwahati Cine Club and North-East Film
• Societies................................................................... 203
• Talking Films Online: The Emerging Future
• Format..................................................................... 204
• 8. End of the Nehruvian Legacy in Indian Films.......... 210
• Major Policy Shift in Films...................................... 210
• Complete Negation of Earlier Film Policies............. 214
• Big Void of Political Patronage ............................... 216
• Complete Abdication of Direct Government
• Patronage ................................................................ 217
• Film Societies disappear from Central Government
• Records.................................................................... 219
• Legacy Institutions Face Uncertainty........................ 219
• Few State Governments Nurture Film Societies....... 224
• Absence of Political Patronage ................................ 226
• Political Propaganda Through Films........................ 229
• 9. Do Film Societies Have a Future in the Digital
• Era?.......................................................................... 233
• Pandemic and Changes in Film Viewing Habits ...... 233
• Is the Digital Revolution Challenging Film
• Societies?.................................................................. 233
• Pandemic and Online Film Groups.......................... 235
• Online Groups as the World Order.......................... 235
• Have Analogue Film Societies Turned Obsolete?..... 237
• Films as a Crass to Class Act................................... 238
• The Box Office Versus Meaningful Films................. 240
• Contents xvii
• Policy Withdrawal by the Government ................... 242
• Margi Impregnating the Desi................................... 244
• Film Societies in the Digital Era............................... 248
• Wither away FFSI?................................................... 254
• Film Societies Affiliated to FFSI in India
• 1959-2014............................................................... 255
• Are State Units, Universities and Digital Groupings
• the Future? .............................................................. 255
• What Film Makers Say About FSM......................... 259
• Annexures................................................................ 264
• Annexure 1: Genesis of Indian films........................ 264
• Annexure 2: Memorandum of Association: FFSI..... 268
• Annexure 3: Presidents of FFSI- 1959-2023............ 270
• Bibliography............................................................ 271
• Index........................................................................ 274