National Film Archive of India

2021-04-14T12:07:33Z

103.208.69.34:

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{{Use Indian English|date=October 2018}}
{{more citations needed|date=May 2017}}
{{Infobox museum
| name = National Film Archive of India
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| caption = Old NFAI building in the Monsoons (Pune)
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| established = February 1964<ref name="Division2017">{{cite book|author=Publications Division|title=Mass Media in India 1992|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cG42DwAAQBAJ&pg=PR2-IA50|date=15 September 2017|publisher=Publications Division Ministry of Information & Broadcasting|isbn=978-81-230-2566-7|pages=2–}}</ref>
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| location = Law College Rd, Deccan Gymkhana, Pune, Maharashtra 411004, India
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The ''National Film Archive of India'' ('''NFA''') was established as a media unit of the [[Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (India)|Ministry of Information and Broadcasting]] in February 1964.<ref name="RamachandranRukmini1985">{{cite book|author1=T. M. Ramachandran|author2=S. Rukmini|title=70 Years of Indian Cinema, 1913-1983|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Q9rthUDKxyEC|year=1985|publisher=CINEMA India-International|isbn=978-0-86132-090-5|pages=530-}}</ref> It is a member of the [[International Federation of Film Archives]].

== Objectives ==
Its three principal objectives are: to trace, acquire and preserve for posterity the heritage of Indian cinema; to classify, document data and undertake research relating to films; to act as a centre for the dissemination of film culture.<ref name="Broadcasting1978">{{cite book|author=India. Ministry of Information and Broadcasting|title=Report|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Wqa2AAAAIAAJ|year=1978|publisher=The Ministry|pages=40-}}</ref>

== Organization ==
With headquarters at [[Pune]], [[Maharashtra]], NFAI has three regional offices at [[Bangalore]], [[Calcutta]] and [[Thiruvananthapuram]]. Developed from scratch by [[P. K. Nair]],<ref>{{cite web|url= https://scroll.in/reel/833153/rescuing-film-prints-from-floods-fire-and-ignorance-tales-from-the-pioneer-of-archiving-in-india|title= Rescuing film prints from floods, fire and ignorance: tales from the pioneer of archiving in India |date=1 April 2017|publisher= scroll.in}}</ref> NFAI's activities relating to dissemination of film culture are manifold. Its Distribution Library has about 25 active members throughout the country and it also organises joint screening programmes on weekly, fortnightly and monthly basis in six important centres. It has over 10,000 films, over 10,000 books, over 10,000 film scripts, and over 50,000 photographs. Another important programme is the film teaching scheme comprising long and short term Film Appreciation courses conducted in collaboration with the [[Film and Television Institute of India]] (FTII) and other educational and cultural institutions. At the International level, NFAI supplied several Indian classics for major screening programmes.

The NFAI's archive keeps a stock of films, video cassettes, DVDs, books, posters, stills, press clippings, slides, audio CDs, and disc records of Indian cinema dating back to the 1910s.

== State of Preservation ==
On 8 January 2003, a large fire caused a massive destruction in the vault of NFAI housed in the Prabhat Studio complex of [[Film and Television Institute of India]] in [[Pune]], in which unduplicated irreplaceable films with a [[Nitrocellulose#Film|nitrate base]] were destroyed.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/society-the-arts/story/20030127-over-600-rare-films-reduced-to-ashes-in-fire-mishap-at-national-film-archives-of-india-793659-2003-01-27|title= Over 600 rare films reduced to ashes in fire mishap at National Film Archives of India |date=27 January 2013|publisher= India Today}}</ref> [[Ravi Shankar Prasad]] the then Minister of State, [[Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (India)|Ministry of Information and Broadcasting]], Government of India announced in the [[Rajya Sabha]] that 607 films in 5,097 reels were lost in the fire.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://indianexpress.com/article/india/14-years-after-fire-destroyed-hundreds-of-films-lessons-not-yet-learnt-4850292/|title= 14 years after fire destroyed hundreds of films, lessons not yet learnt |date=19 September 2017|publisher= Indian Express}}</ref> Among the greatest loss were films by [[Dadasaheb Phalke]] including: [[Raja Harishchandra]], 1913; [[Lanka Dahan]], 1917; [[Kaliya Mardan]], 1919. Important films produced by [[Prabhat Film Company]], [[Wadia Movietone]], [[Bombay Talkies]] and [[New Theatres]], were also gutted, namely: [[Bhakta Prahlada (1932 film)|Bhakta Prahlada]], 1932; [[Amar Jyoti]], 1936; [[Manoos]], 1939 [[Aage Badho]], 1947.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://frontline.thehindu.com/static/html/fl2002/stories/20030131008813300.htm|title= Fire at FTII |date=18 January 2003|publisher= Frontline}}</ref>

In March 2019, the [[Comptroller and Auditor General of India]] reported that 31,000 reels at the NFAI were reported lost or destroyed, when it audited the records between May 1, 2015 and September 30, 2017.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/cag-over-31-000-film-reels-at-nfai-national-films-archives-of-india-lost-destroyed-2008901|title= Over 31,000 Film Reels At Film Archives Body Lost, Destroyed: Auditor CAG |date=17 March 2019|publisher= NDTV}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
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*[http://www.nfai.gov.in/ National Film Archive of India Official Website]
*[https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCd5K-sXwYtWjS3IoGoeWmWA National Film Archive of India YouTube Channel]

{{MIBI}}{{Authority control}}

[[Category:1964 establishments in Maharashtra]]
[[Category:Government agencies established in 1964]]
[[Category:Film archives]]
[[Category:Archives in India]]
[[Category:Film organisations in India]]
[[Category:Film preservation]]
[[Category:Organisations based in Pune]]
[[Category:Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (India)]]

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National Film Archive of India