Research

Research at SRFTI

Research is one of the key focus areas of Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute beside its regular post graduate courses in film making, electronic and digital media. In this endeavour, every Year SRFTI awards fellowships for a six month ‘Independent Fellowships Programme’ to young researchers and practitioners, actively engaged in reflecting on contemporary culture, spaces, politics in Indian cinema, electronic and digital media — as well as on the histories, practices, the public domain and media forms. Publication of the annual peer reviewed research journal ‘SRFTI Take One’ is another step towards institutionalizing the pedagogy of research in film and digital media. The journal is an ensemble of articles capturing technology, aesthetics, movement, history as well as the contemporary practices in the cinema and digital media.

Independent Research Fellowship Programme

Started in the year 2017, the Independent Research Fellowship Program at Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute (SRFTI) is a key initiative aimed at fostering critical inquiry in cinema, electronic, and digital media. Each year, SRFTI awards six-month fellowships to young researchers and practitioners engaged in exploring contemporary culture, spaces, and politics in Indian cinema, as well as the histories, practices, public discourse, and evolving media forms.

Previous Fellowship Programmes

Year Title of the Project Research Fellow Status
2025
Recycling and Archiving Indian Cinema: Intersections of Sustainability and Cultural Preservation
Oshee Johri
Ongoing
2025
The Art of Hand-Painted Film Posters: Exploring Techniques, Traditions, Customization and Untold Stories
Sandeep Anil Dongare
Ongoing
2025
Foot Soldiers of our Binary Gods: Reflections on War, Religion and Media in the Digital Era
Souparno Ghosh
Ongoing
2022
Streaming Wars, Platform Capitalism, and the Telugu film industry
C. Yamini Krishna
Completed
2022
Understanding the place of protest through Spatial Criticism
Mamta Mantri
Completed
2022
Disappearing Single Screens and the Exhibition of “Adult” Films in West Bengal
Mr. Sandip Chatterjee
Completed
2020
Speculative Middleman: Distribution Practices in Malayalam Cinema of the 1970s and 80s.
Jenson Joseph
Completed
2020
Changing Portrayal of Muslim Woman in Indian Cinema Representative Case Studies
Nandita Banerjee
Completed
2020
Cinema of Jharkhand
Anuj Kumar
Completed
2018
A Critical Study of Bollywood’s Assimilation of the Underground Hip Hop Aesthetic
Elloit Cardozo
Completed
2018
Feminist film practice and shaping the Feminist political subject in the Indian Documentary
Kasturi Basu
Completed
2018
Reading Anglo-Indian History in Non-fiction Cinema: A Study of Select Documentary Films
Shyamasri Maji
Completed
2017
Visions of a Market: A Case for Drishyam Films
Trinankur Banerjee
Completed
2017
Recent Trends of Using Digital Media in India
Kaustab Chakraborty
Completed
2017
Cinema in Future
Ganeswara Mohapatra
Completed
2016
Redefining Cinephilia: Alternate Film Collectives and Screening Practices in A Digital Age and Neoliberal Milieu
Dwaipayan Banerjee
Completed
2016
The Ghungru Tells – Metamorphosis of Kathak, Its Purity, Improvisation, and Commercialization in Bollywood
Indrani Das Sharma
Completed
2016
Sonified Cinema
Bhudhaditya Chattopadhyay
Completed

Seminars

National Seminar Vol. 1

Date : 20.09.2014

Venue: Satyajit Ray Film & Television Institute, Kolkata

Speakers & Papers:

  • Recreating Climax in Post Production
    Presented by Shyamal Karmakar, Prof & HOD, S.R.F.T.I.
  • ‘Bad Climaxes: The Ineffective Arc’
    Presented by A.F. Mathew, Associate Professor, IIM, Kunnamangalam
  • Climax in Documentary
    Presented by Nishtha Jain, Filmmaker
  • How to End a Film: Reflections on Narrative Closure in Indian Film Socials.
    Presented by Subhajit Chatterjee, Assistant Professor, Jadavpur University

Moderator: Ashoke Viswanathan

National Seminar Vol. II

Title: Ideological Journeys; Cinema Of Mrinal Sen

Date: 31.01.2015

Venue: Satyajit Ray Film & Television Institute, Kolkata

Part I (11 am – 1 pm)

Speakers & Papers:

  • Mrinal Sen – A Comradely Shoulder For Loners And Underdogs To Lean On
    Presented by Vidyarthy Chatterjee, Film Scholar
  • ‘Crow Films’: Mrinal Sen and the Structural Transformations of Bengali Cinema (1965–1975)
    Presented by Maharghya Chakraborty, PhD Scholar, CSSS, Calcutta
  • Rise And Fall Of New Wave In India
    Presented by Samik Bandopadhyay, Film Scholar

Moderator: Biren Das Sharma

Pather Panchali 60

Day 1 ( 19.12.2015 )

Title: The evolution of the story of ‘Pather Panchali’; how it mirrors the social reality of the time
Speakers:

  • Swapan Chakravorty, former Director of the National Library
  • Supriya Chowdhury, distinguished Professor of English Literature
  • Samik Bandyapadhyay, noted art critic
  • Anindyo Sengupta, Assistant Professor of Film Studies at Jadavpur University
  • Subrata Mukhopadhyay, author and academy award winner.

Moderator:
Amaresh Chakraburtty, Professor and HOD, Direction and screenplay writing, SRFTI.

Day 2 (20.12.2015)

Title: The influence of Pather Panchali on contemporary cinema and its relevance
Speakers:

  • Kamaleshwar Mukherjee, Filmmaker
  • Sourav Sarangi, Filmmaker
  • Shaji Karun, Filmmaker
  • Sekhar Das, Filmmaker
  • Shanker Raman, Director- cinematographer
  • Suresh Jindal, Producer


Moderator:
Ashoke Viswanathan

Spectrum Satyajit 1

Date: 07.05.2016

Title: Film making process of Ray; perspective from technicians
Speakers:

  • Shri Ramesh Sen
  • Shri Subrato Lahiri
  • Shri Anil Ghosh


Moderator:
Shri Sujoy Shome

Spectrum Satyajit 2

Date: 30.05.2016

Title: Satyajit Ray’s Inner Eye as Cover designer and illustrator
Speakers:

  • Shri Pronabesh Maiti
  • Shri Debashis Deb
  • Shri Debraj Goswami

    • Moderator:
      Shri Sujoy Shome

      Conclave

      Date: 22.3.16 – 24.3.16

      Title: Emerging Paradigms in Film Pedagogy
      Papers & Speakers:

      • An outsider’s view on Film Pedagogy
        Presented by Prof. Partha Ghoshe
      • Teaching Film Theory & Aesthetics
        Presnted by Prof. Amaresh Chakraburtty
      • Future technology in Cinema
        Presented by Prof. Saikat S Roy

      National Seminar Vol. III

      Date: 11.11.2017

      Venue: New CRT, SRFTI
      Title: Cinema In The Age Of New Media
      Key Note Address: Sri. Dhritiman Chatterjee, Actor

      Session1: Challenges For Today’s Television

      Papers and Speakers:

      • An analysis of current trends in research on effect of television viewing on children
        Presented by Dr. Debojyoti Chandra
      • Winter is here for the traditional television
        Presented by Sri Debapriya Bhattacharya
      • Television and Religion – Remapping the Indian scene
        Presented by Dr. Soumik Chatterjee
      • Television and Women – Problem faced by today’s Indian Television
        Presented by Dr. Anindita Chattopadhyay


      Moderator:
      Sri Abhijit Dasgupta

      Session2: New Horizon In The Post Modern Scenario Of Film Making

      Papers and Speakers:

      • Influence of post modernism in Sergio Rubini’s ‘Soul Mate (2011); An Enquiry
        Presented by Dr. Pallab Mukhopadhyay
      • Mobile phone as the new tool of film making in the age of social media
        Presented by Dr. Amarta Saha

      Moderator: Sri Ashoke Viswanathan

      Session3: Creativity And New Media

      Papers and Speakers:

      • The visual maze – How Youtube infuss hybridization of identities and binary propositions in individuals
        Presented by Dr. Sujata Mukhopadhyay
      • Drones in News Media; A Case Study of Drone Technology in The Indian Media Landscape
        Presented by Sri Arkaprava Chattopadhyay
      • MOOC: A creative challenge to the online teacher
        Presented by Ms. Subha Das Moulik

      Moderator: Dr. Tapati Basu

      National Seminar Vol. IV

      Date: 01.12.2018

      Venue: New CRT, SRFTI
      Title: Producing for Film, Electronic and Digital Media
      Key Note Address: Sri. Rahul Rawail, Filmmaker

      Session1: Producing for Electronic and Digital Media

      Papers and Speakers:

      • The puzzle of increasing TRPs and camouflaged popular culture; Marketing violence and to children in modern day tele-serials
        Presented by Dr. Sujata Mukhopadhyay , Asst. Prof. Hiralal Memorial College for Woman
      • Soap Opera: Producers responsibility towards society
        Presented by Sri. Samik Mitra, Research Fellow, Viswa Bharati
      • Challenges and threats facing by Indian Television Industry; A sampling survey on shift of audience in Indian society
        Presented by Dr. Soumee Roychowdhury, Asst. Prof. George Telegraph College

      Moderator: Sri Abhijit Dasgupta, Dean (TV), SRFTI

      Session2: Producing for Cinema

      Papers and Speakers:

      • Contribution of “Rajshri Productions” in producing Hindi Films – A Journey
        Presented by Dr. Pallav Mukhopadhyay, Asst. Prof. W B State University
      • From Screening to sreaming; A study on Netflix effect and rapid paradigm shift in movie viewing experience
        Presented by Dr. Trinanjans Das, Asst. Prof. Amity Univ. Kolkata
      • Envisioning India through Corporate Presentation
        Presented by Sri. Ashim S Paul, Asst. Prof. SRFTI

      Moderator: Sri Ashoke Viswanathan, Dean (Film) SRFTI

      National Seminar Vol. V

      Title: Cinema in the Margins; Dalit Identity, Women Portrayed and The Elderly depicted.

      Date: 27.09.2019

      Venue: preview Theatre, SRFTI
      Speakers:

      • Prof Anil Zankar
      • Prof (Dr) Ira Bhaskar
      • Prof Manash Ghosh
      • Ms Anindita Sarbadhikary
      • Prof Ashoke Viswanathan
      • Prof Oindrila Hazra

      National Seminar Vol. VI

      Title: Gender and Media

      Date: 07.12.2019

      Venue:New CRT, SRFTI
      Key Note Address: Prof. Shohini Ghosh, Professor on Sajjad Zaheer Chair, AJK Mass Communication Research Centre Jamia Millia Islamia, Central University, New Delhi
      Papers & Speakers:

      • Portrayal of Courtesans in Hindi Cinema between 1960-1990: A Perspective
        Presented by Nandita Banerjee
      • Fearless Nadia: Modernity and feminity in the early Bombay cinema
        Presented by Satyendra Kumar
      • Main Putt Jatt Da: Manda Ni Haar: Masculinity, Class and Caste in Punjabi Music
        Presented by Prashastika Sharma
      • The cinematic configuration of gendered space in New Iranian Cinema
        Presented by Apeksha Priyadarshini
      • The Challenges of Volatile Nationalism and Patriarchy for ‘Half Widowed Gazala’ and ‘Hysterical Arshia’ : A Study of the Cinematic Projection of the Fragmentary Lives of Kashmiri Women in the Film Haider
        Presented by Kirti Sachdeva
      • Parodying the Popular: The Gender Politics of Web Shorts in India
        Presented by Hemantika Singh
      • Gender-biased Internet Trolling in Malayalam Film Industry
        Presented by Kunju Lekshmi
      • Gender Fluidity in Cinema and Other Media
        Presented by Deepika Matange and Shruti Parthasarthy
      • Feminine Perspectives in New American Horror- An analysis of Hereditary and Midsommar
        Presented by Soumik Hazra and Abhinaba Bhattacharya
      • Walking Around: Women Navigating Cinematic Spaces
        Presented by Sanghamitra Deb
      • How Not to Do Gender in Cinema
        Presented by Prof. Niladari Chatterjee
      • Ghatak and Gender
        Presented by Prof. Sushmita Banerji