MUMBAI: Viacom18 and Film Heritage Foundation (FHF) have joined hands for the second time in a row with an aim to save and uphold the legacy of India’s cinematic heritage.
The workshop titled ‘Film Preservation & Restoration Workshop India 2016’ will take place from 26 February - 6 March in Pune and will involve lectures, presentations and practical classes that will be conducted by leading international experts in the field.
The workshop will be inaugurated by veteran actor Naseeruddin Shah in the presence of Ministry of Information and Broadcasting secretary Sunil Arora, Viacom 18 Media group CEO Sudhanshu Vats, Film Heritage Foundation founder director Shivendra Singh Dungarpu and National Film Archive of India director Prakash Magdum.
Extending support to this unique initiative, Vats said, “We strongly believe that every enterprise has to be global and social at the same time. At Viacom18, we know for a fact that India is a country of storytellers; in fact the largest and oldest stories in the world come from here. And so we realise how important it is to preserve our cultural heritage for the benefit of the future generations. We look forward to educate and interact with cinema enthusiasts during the course of the film preservation and restoration workshop 2016.”
Dungarpur added, “After receiving a great response in the first year itself, we are back again with a longer, more advanced and intensive Film Preservation and Restoration Workshop for all those who understand the importance of the rich cinematic legacy of India and who wish to learn, explore and contribute and contribute to saving our film heritage. FHF would like to thank Sudhanshu Vats for being one of the first people from the media and film industry to have the vision to recognise the importance of our cause and for Viacom’s unstinting support.”
With a committee of panelists including some of the most influential names from the industry from across the globe, this year the workshop will give practical training to help make abled archivists, which is a dire need for cinema in India. This also opens up a career alternative for film students of many acclaimed universities across India, allowing them to learn more in-depth knowledge on this topic.
With a mix of technical workshops on the craft of preservation and lectures specially designed by FIAF Technical Commission head David Walsh there will also be a daily screening of a great Indian classic.
Extending his support to the initiative, Shah said, “When Shivendra called me and requested me to be the chief guest at the opening ceremony of the Film Preservation & Restoration Workshop India 2016, I was very happy to accept. There has been a growing awareness about how much of our cinematic legacy has been lost over the years for various reasons and the urgent need to preserve what is left of it. I think it’s great that Film Heritage Foundation and National Film Archive of India have come together with FIAF to conduct this important workshop to train people in the highly specialised field of film archiving which is essential if we are to save our cinematic heritage."
