After successfully holding a parallel film festival outside IFFI venue as a part of their creative protest, the Students Association of FTII is now holding another creative programme tomorrow – “Celebrating Dissent”.


 

The star attraction of the programme would be Maharashtra’s Lokshahir Sambhaji Bhagat, music director of ‘Court’, a Marathi film officially nominated for Oscar award from India this year.

The powerful singer and musician will perform in support of the protesting FTII students.

Saeed Mirza, former Director of Film and Television Institute of India, will be the key note speaker at the progamme, scheduled from 5 to 8 pm, at Nossa Senhora de Piedade Institute in Panaji.

Saeed Mirza to speak on “Dissent: The necessary fuel of art”.

Video Screening: A film about a puppet show

Address by students of FTII: From strike to movement

Eminent human rights lawyer Nandita Haksar to speak on “The Misuse of Law to Silence Dissent”

Masterclass by Rakesh Sharma on “Censorship as a tool for suppressing dissent”
Live Music Performance by Sambhaji Bhagat

 

GOA UNIVERSITY SUDENTS SUPPORT

Meanwhile, the Goa University Post-Graduate Students Union has supported the protesting FTII students.

Their press note stated as follows:

The Post Graduate Students Union stands in solidarity with the protesting students of Film and Television Institute of India, Pune.

The 139 days strike by the students of India’s premier institute is a watershed event in the history of country’s student struggle because it is the fight put on to save the independence and sanctity of an education institute.

On behalf of GUPGSU the president of the Union condemns the police action on the students who protested during the inaugural ceremony of 46th International Film Festival of India.

The Union also salutes the indomitable spirit of the FTII students for boldly and relentlessly putting forward their mark of dissent in every way possible.

The struggle put forward by FTII students is relevant to the entire higher education institutions in India because the desperate attempts by the current dispensation to temper the mandate of several liberal institutions of India has to be fought more vigorously.

It is absolutely shameful to know that Festival authorities are deporting FTII students and canceling their Delegate accreditation. The FTII has a biggest stake in the growth and development of cinema in this country.

Cinema is all about liberation and Film Festivals cannot happen with such a crackdown of cinema students.

IFFI during its inception it was the first International Film Festival in Asia and it was seen as the reflection of third world cinema.

Struggle and Cinema are deeply interlinked in evolving democracies.

The student community in Goa would wholeheartedly support the FTII students to voice their cause in Goa.

We not only sympathize with the protesting FTII students but we associate our struggle with theirs.