Film society at Pune University on cards

PUNE: Decks have finally been cleared for formation of a film society inside the Pune university campus.
Manohar Jadhav, head of department of Marathi, said the campus film society will open by mid-September and their department will look after it. Regular film screenings and interactive sessions on filmmakers will be high on the film society's agenda, he said. Three months back, the proposal to start the film society was sent to the univeristy vice-chancellor R K Shevgaonkar."He was very supportive of the idea and knows the importance of having a film society on campus. We will have a membership system for students who will be issued an identification card. The club is open to students from all departments of the UoP. We will start with screenings of world cinema classics, twice every month," said Jadhav.
The Maharashtra chapter of the Federation of Film Societies of India (FFSI) will guide Jadhav in planning the society's activities. "Formation of a film society at the UoP is important so that all the colleges and academic institutions associated with the university take inspiration to start their own societies. This is the best way to reach out to youngsters," said Satish Zakatdar, secretary of FFSI's Maharashtra chapter.
Monthly interactive sessions for the members are also being worked out. "The UoP ran a film society, View Aspect, between 1980 and 1990. Today, with media reaching out to one and all, there is awareness about world cinema. But the young audiences deserve to have a background on the emergence of such cinema and all those who have contributed to it. That's where the film club-related activities will come in handy," said Zakatdar. The Marathi department took the lead in the formation of the club by sending two of its professors for a short film appreciation course, organised by FFSI in Pune late last year. tnn"The department facilitates the study of literature and various art forms. Cinema, too, is an art form that requires appreciation. And studying cinema by means of a film society will only help students broaden their horizons further," said Jadhav.