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Welcome to ARCUREA
Satyajit Ray Film And Television Institute, Kolkata
16 March – 22 March, 2024
Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute (SRFTI), Kolkata presents ARCUREA, a unique endeavour to spotlight the importance of film archiving, curation and restoration in the global context. ARCUREA is a portmanteau word created by blending the words ‘archiving, curation, restoration, et al.’
The event, spread over 7 days, is a multi-pronged academic engagement with cinema, which includes an international colloquium on film archiving and restoration, a cinema curation workshop with a focus on Indian cinema for students, a festival of restored films by the NFDC-National Film Archive of India (NFDC-NFAI) and special screenings of films from curated packages will be part of the schedule along with exhibitions on film-memorabilia, live performances and the 1st P. K. Nair Commemoration lecture.
The 2-day international colloquium explores the idea of film as cultural heritage apart from various aspects relating to the institutional history, technological processes and present status of film restoration and archiving in the Asian region. Sessions will cover various aspects of film history and archiving and touch upon historical junctures such as the Silent Era, Indian cinema of the pre- and post-Independence periods, the emergence of Parallel Cinema, the impact of technological shifts like digital technology and the coming of television, internet platforms etc. The rationale, evolution and role of public institutions devoted to cinema, such as Films Division, Film Finance Corporation (now NFDC), Film and Television Institute of India, International Film Festivals of India, and the Film Societies movement in the Indian context will also feature in deliberations at the colloquium.
The 3-day cinema curation workshop is a unique opportunity for students with a keen interest in film history, culture, technology and curation. The primary objective of the workshop is to provide students with a foundational understanding about various aspects of curation with special focus on Indian cinema.
Chosen through a rigorous application and screening process the selected participants will be introduced to the various aspects and stages of the curatorial processes: from ideation and conceptualisation, through methods of research and archival use, up to actualisation of the project. Inputs will also be provided about the historical aspects of film curation both in India and internationally in diverse sites like film festivals, galleries, museums and art centres. The workshop also explores the potential of film curation as a professional and creative career option for film scholars and students.
16 – 22 March 2024
Restored films serve as time capsules – witnessing the Indian society and culture through restored films is a profound and invaluable experience that provides a unique window into the nation’s historical tapestry. Given the rapidly perishing condition of films and ancillary material in India, a massive effort to conserve, digitise and restore old films is being carried out under the National Film Heritage Mission (NFHM) by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India.
This festival features some of the all-time great cinematic works from India that have been restored by the NFDC National Film Archive of India (NFDC-NFAI) under NFHM. The selection of films has been done with the objective of showcasing regional and linguistic diversity as well as to commemorate masters and classics of Indian cinemas.
17 – 20 March 2024
Complex ideas of archiving and curation come alive, as the artists take centre stage to disseminate archival knowledge through their performances. They engage in subjects as varied as lullabies, Kabir’s philosophy, performing the archival absences to performances in silent cinema. These performances push the boundaries of common understanding of archives and the role of the artist vis-a-vis use of the archives, curation and research.
ARCUREA is presenting four live performances and each of them explores different ideas about archives. The meaning of archives, how one uses an archive, the possibilities that open up when one brings their use of archive into their practice, the access to archive and the absence of archives – all these aspects are touched through the conceptualisation of the programming of live performances.
16 – 22 March 2024
Multiple exhibitions on various areas of cinema are part of ARCUREA on all days. These meticulously curated exhibitions include projects such as Madhusree Dutta’s Project Cinema City, Anuja Ghosalkar’s stories of her grandfather, a make-up artist in Bombay, and oral histories of cinema from the NFDC-NFAI archives.
The ARCUREA exhibitions showcase the richness of archival material available on Indian cinema as well as creative ways to bring that knowledge back to people. These multimedia experiences aim to expand the event beyond film screenings and discussions.
2 – 10 March 2024
The ARCUREA e-Talks is a curtain raiser to the main event. It is designed to initiate the students to the idea of archiving, curation and the curatorial imagination. These online talks are intended to provide a foundation for the intensive, on-campus ARCUREA cinema curation workshop at SRFTI. The talks will also be made accessible to the wider public who may have an interest in the field, so as to disseminate awareness about the importance of curation and related subjects.
22 March 2024
P. K. Nair, film archivist and film scholar, was the founder-director of the National Film Archive of India (NFAI) formed in 1964. He was instrumental in acquiring for the archive several landmark Indian films like Dadasaheb Phalke’s Raja Harishchandra and Kaliya Mardan, P. V. Rao’s Marthandavarma, Bombay Talkies films such as Jeevan Naiya, Bandhan, Kangan, Achhut Kanya and Kismet, S. S. Vasan’s Chandralekha and Uday Shankar’s Kalpana.
The first P. K. Nair Memorial lecture will be delivered by Dr. Sudhir Kakar on 22 March, 6:00 pm at the Main Theatre of SRFTI.
2 – 10 March 2024
The Pramod Pati Cinema Art and Technology Museum, situated at the Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute (SRFTI) in Kolkata, will serve to educate on the history of filmmaking. Beyond artefacts, it will be a hub for research and inspiration for students and visitors alike. SRFTI’s commitment to education led to the museum’s establishment, bridging the past and present of cinema. It showcases analogue filmmaking equipment and memorabilia, illustrating technological advancements. The museum will be inaugurated during ARCUREA 2024.
