Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute (SRFTI)
India's second national film school, located in Kolkata and named after the legendary Bengali filmmaker, focused on training filmmakers in the traditions of Indian and world cinema.
Overview
The Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute (SRFTI) is India's second government-funded film school, established in 1995 in Kolkata, West Bengal. Named after Satyajit Ray, one of the greatest filmmakers in cinema history, SRFTI continues the tradition of film education that Ray himself embodied: a commitment to humanistic storytelling, visual precision, and intellectual depth.
Kolkata's cultural heritage, including its literary, theatrical, and musical traditions, provides a rich creative environment for filmmakers. The city's association with Ray and the Bengali cinema movement gives SRFTI a particular cultural resonance, and the school attracts students who are drawn to art cinema, documentary, and socially engaged filmmaking.
SRFTI operates under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and offers postgraduate diploma programs in production disciplines. The school's campus includes studios, editing suites, and screening facilities, and its curriculum combines production training with extensive study of film history and theory.
Programs Offered
- Postgraduate Diploma in Cinema (Direction and Screenplay Writing) -- narrative filmmaking and writing
- Postgraduate Diploma in Cinema (Cinematography) -- camera and lighting
- Postgraduate Diploma in Cinema (Editing) -- editorial craft
- Postgraduate Diploma in Cinema (Sound) -- production and post-production audio
- Postgraduate Diploma in Electronic and Digital Media -- television and digital production
- Postgraduate Diploma in Animation Cinema -- animated filmmaking
Programs run for three years.
What Students Should Know
SRFTI provides a rigorous, immersive education at very low cost. Government subsidies keep tuition minimal, and the campus provides residential accommodation. Admission is competitive, with a written examination and interview process.
The school's approach reflects its namesake's values: a deep respect for cinema as an art form, a commitment to careful observation of human experience, and an insistence on craft. Students study Ray's work alongside international cinema from around the world, developing a broad understanding of what film can accomplish.
SRFTI is smaller and less internationally well known than FTII in Pune, but it offers an equally serious education for students who are drawn to the Bengali cultural tradition and to art cinema more broadly. Graduates work across the Indian film industry, with particular strength in independent and regional cinema.
Notable Alumni
SRFTI alumni include emerging filmmakers working in Indian independent cinema, documentary, and animation. The school is younger than FTII, and its alumni base is still growing, but graduates have begun to appear at international festivals and in the Indian art house circuit.
See Also
For understanding Indian cinema traditions and their global influence, see International Film Markets. To plan your production budget, use the Production Budget Calculator.
