As the season for international film festivals begins, students and staff of the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), Pune, are preparing themselves to win the global accolades.

India’s premier international centre imparting training in filming making and television programmes has consistently won the national and international awards for short diploma films produced by its students.

So far, the institute has received six invitations for international film festivals — two from Germany and one each from Japan, Portugal, Australia and the UAE. “We have sent 23 students’ films for competition in these festivals and we are confident of winning,” said Chandrashekhar Joshi, FTII film research officer.

On an average, annually more than 40 invitations come from national and international film festivals, he said.

Last year, the institute had received invitations from 39 national and international film festivals and 43 students’ diploma films were sent for the competition. “In these festivals, we won four international awards and 29 national awards,” he said.

Pankaj Rag, IAS, director of FTII, said, that the films made by his students have routinely made it to the film festivals both in India and abroad. “They have been winning national and international awards,” he said.

Known films makers from Bollywood and Hollywood visit the institute throughout the year and share their experiences about making of films and television programmes with the students. “The well known professionals from the industry train students to be competitive,” Rag said.

In 2008-09, the institute bagged seven international and seven national awards whereas in 2007-08, it won 11 international and seven national awards.

“It is not a surprise that our students have been winning national and international accolades and recognition for their creative works,” Professor Iftekhar Ahmed, dean (television), who has been teaching at FTII for the last 23 years, said.

“It has been raining awards here for many years and many of the students have entered into the Indian film and television industry and have excelled there,” Ahmed said.

“The campus here is deeply vibrant and gives complete freedom to students to experiment with their ideas, which makes a hell of a difference,” Vikrant Pawar, a third year student, said. His 10-minute film The Watch Clinic with a budget of Rs 40,000 produced as dialogue film last year won the best film award at Whistling Woods International Students Film Competition Live Action (Short Film) during 8th Pune International Film Festival held in January 2010.

The movie was awarded a cash prize of $2,000.

“It was the most thrilling moment for me. I want to make it big in Bollywood and Hollywood,” the 27-year-old lad from Sangli district in western Maharashtra said.

Vikrant was also the assistant director of a Marathi feature film Vihir (The Well) produced by his senior Umesh Kulkarni.

“The institute has matured into an international centre of excellence in the last 50 years, providing students the latest equipments and gadgets used by the film and television industry,” Professor Bipinchandra Naria, head of cinematography department, FTII said.

He said it was a matter of tribute to the institute once again when the students’ films won eight national awards in the 55th National Awards and 11 national awards in the 56th National Film Awards 2010.