As Robert Altman said ‘Film Making is a chance to live many lifetimes.’ And it is true. Film Making is an art that influences people’s lives. People watch films for entertainment and to enjoy with friends and family. But for some people, films are more than that. For some ‘Films are a breathtaking experience.’
If you want to be a filmmaker then the most important thing you must have in yourself is passion and love towards cinema. As Quentin Tarantino said ‘If you just love movies enough, you can make a GOOD one.’
There are many film schools in India and the rest of the world. And yes, it is true that one can learn filmmaking without going to a film school. Great director ‘Christopher Nolan’ is a living example.
Attending a film school will give you a creative environment because you will meet like-minded people there. You will interact with a lot of people from the Film Industry and moreover, Film Schools have top-notch equipment which you will be using while learning the art.
As Anurag Kashyap said ‘Film Making is the only art that costs you money.’ So it’s a good idea to invest your time and money in a Film School to learn the art of Film Making. We make a list of the Top 6 Film Schools in India and it will definitely help you make a decision.
Best Film Schools of India
1. ICE – Institute of Creative Excellence
ICE was launched by Balaji Telefilms in 2010 with the aim of providing world-class quality education to the aspirants for the entire gamut of Media & Entertainment industry related courses, covering all major specializations like Acting, Modeling, Cinematography, Direction, Editing, Production, Scriptwriting, Sound and VFX. ICE is an ISO 9001:2015 Certified Institute.
The main campus is located at Andheri (East), Mumbai and various admission centers are located in major cities like Delhi, Pune, Mumbai, Lucknow, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Jabalpur, Patna, Chandigarh, Bhubaneshwar.
ICE been rated among ”The 10 Best Media & Mass Communication Institute for 2018” by Knowledge Review magazine. ICE provides placement support to all its students across all streams through a dedicated placements committee and also provides scholarships to dedicated and deserving students who cannot afford the courses.
Website: https://www.theiceinstitute.com/
2. Film and Television Institute of India (Pune)
Film and Television Institute of India widely known as FTII or Film Institute is an autonomous institute under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India.
Film and Television Institute of India is a government institution and thus, fee structure is very reasonable. A fee is subsidized by the Government to encourage more and more people to learn the art. FTII provides a three-year Post Graduate Diploma in Direction. The candidate must have a Bachelor’s Degree from any recognized university in any subject.
FTII is a member of CILECT and this means that the quality of education is three-year the mark. FTII also provides courses in Editing, Sound Recording, and a two-year diploma in Acting. FTII has a great list of alumni – Rajkumar Hirani, Subhash Ghai, Naseeruddin Shah, Om Puri, Rajkumar Rao, and the list goes on and on. FTII has been producing great artists since 1960.
3. Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute of India (Kolkata)
Established in 1995 and named after the legendary Oscar-winning director Satyajit Ray. SRFTI or Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute of India is a film school located in Kolkata, West Bengal.
SRFTI provides quality hands-on education and training in Direction, Cinematography, Sound Recording and Editing. SRFTI is a government institution providing a three-year post graduate diploma and the requirement for this course is Bachelor’s Degree in any subject.
4. Whistling Woods International (Mumbai)
Established in 2006 – by the showman Subhash Ghai who is an FTII alumnus. WWI has an exotic campus in Film City, Mumbai. WWI provides a B.Sc in Film Making (with specializations).
WWI has International recognition and is a member of CILECT. The campus is spread over an area of 20 acres and the school has facilities like a Film Studio, Theater, Production House, Sound Recording Studio etc.
WWI has tied up with SONY and has great equipment and technology, which a filmmaking student requires. And all this comes at a cost of 18 Lakh INR plus 1 Lakh as a security deposit.
5. Annapurna International School of Film and Media (Hyderabad)
Founded by Akkineni Family. AISFM is one of the largest film schools in India. Guided by Akkineni Nagarjuna, Annapurna International School of Film and Media provides a Bachelor’s Degree in Film Making.
They have people such as Farah Khan, Karan Johar, Hema Malini, Mani Ratnam, Kamal Haasan, Javed Akhtar, Shabana Azmi and Aparna Sen as the Academic Advisory Board. They have great facilities for students like Studio, Production House, Outdoor Shooting Locations, Preview Theater and much more. The fee structure for a four-year course is 13,92,500 INR.
6. M.G.R Government Film & Television Training Institute (Chennai)
Founded in 1945 as Adyar Film Institute (a.k.a Madras Film Institute), M.G.R Government Film & Television Training Institute is the only Government-funded Film School in the state of Tamil Nadu.
It offers three-year diploma courses in Screenplay and direction, Cinematography, Sound Recording and engineering, Film Editing, and Film Processing. The diplomas are approved by the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE).
Some of the notable alumni are Rajnikanth (actor), Chiranjeevi (actor), PC Sreeram (cinematographer), Suhasini Maniratnam (cinematographer), and much more. The acting course at M.G.R was discontinued in 2002.
I was literally shocked to see that the fee for a three-year course in Cinematography is just 60,565 INR. And yes, it includes tuition, hostel, food and film society fee. The Government of Tamil Nadu has highly subsidized the cost of the course. You need to have a Bachelor’s Degree in any discipline from any UGC recognized university to take admitted in M.G.R.
Bonus.
I’ve noticed that many people don’t even know about other Government-funded Film Schools in India. One of the reasons is that they don’t have sleek websites like Private Film Schools.
So gathering information about courses is not that easy. Because most of them don’t have any online presence. Right now there are four more Government funded Film Schools in India apart from the ones listed above.
7. Government Film & Television Institute, Bengaluru
Government Film & Television Institute was founded and established as S.J Polytechnic in the year 1943. It is funded by the Government of Karnataka and diplomas are awarded by the Department of Technical Education, Government of Karnataka.
GFTI only offers two courses. Both have a duration of three years. The courses offered are Cinematography and Sound Recording and engineering. The courses are postgraduate level, so you need to have a Bachelor’s Degree in any discipline in order to take admission in any of their courses.
8. State Institute of Film & Television, Rohtak
Established recently in 2011, State Institute of Film & Television is a Film School under State University of Performing and Visual Arts. SIFT provides three years of diploma courses in Acting, Cinematography, Direction, Editing and Sound Recording & Sound Design. The diploma courses are not of Post Graduate level.
That means you can take admission in any of their courses after high school (or after Polytechnic). Intake capacity of each course is 12 students. They don’t have hostel facilities yet. But a residential building is under construction for both students and staff.
Tuition and University fee makes a total of 2,03,000 INR for a three years course. The faculty is mainly from FTII and NSD. SIFT also have shooting floors, theaters, and mixing studios.
9. Regional Government Film & Television Institute, Guwahati
Regional Government Film & Television Institute a.k.a Jyoti Chitraban Film & Television Institute is a film school situated in Kahilipara, Guwahati, Assam. Named after the first Assamese – Director & Producer Jyoti Prasad Agarwala.
It was established by Government of Assam as a film studio in 1961. In the year 1999, a film institute was set up in the same studio premises using the same infrastructure.
It is equipped with ultra-modern facilities. More than 200 films have been released from this studio. It offers a Diploma in Audiography & Sound Engineering, Photography, and Editing Motion Pictures and also a Certificate Course in Acting. The courses are subsidized by the Government of Assam and the fee structure is kept reasonable.
10. Biju Pattnaik Film & Television Institute, Cuttack
Founded in 1998 by the Government of Odisha and situated in Cuttack, Odisha. Biju Patnaik Film & Television Institute was set up under a World Bank-assisted scheme to meet the emerging demand for well-trained technical manpower in the field of television network and film production activities.
It offers courses in three disciplines – Cinematography, Editing, and Sound & TV Engineering. The diplomas are approved by the Department of Employment and Technical Education & Training. Courses offered are not of Post Graduate level.
You can fill up the application form after high school. It is funded by Govt. of Odisha and they subsidize the course fee by up to 70%.
Note: This list is not ranked, we have placed institutes in Random numbers.
