Journalism of Courage
A vague,androgynous person stumbles into a dirty bathroom. There are several bottles strewn across the floor. The dull grey figure with a skinny body,bulging forehead and sunken eyes,picks up a half-empty bottle,chugs the remains greedily and lurches to a nearby desk. The desk is littered with packets of white powder. The shadowy figure empties a packet,piles the white ephemeral dust and inhales it through a used,rolled-up dollar bill. As a wane smile appears on his cracked lips,one gets transported with him into a land of drug-induced dreams,where the figure is smiling and flying high among the clouds. But it all ends quickly,as hes snapped back to reality by the shrill ring of a telephone,in his dingy apartment.
In a mere six-minute animated film,Khayali Pandya and Vivek Kumar,students from the animation department at the Film and Television Institute of Indias (FTII) Television wing,bring a glimpse into the life of an addict and the minute details of his habits. Showcased at the International Film Festival of Kerala and the Students Film Festival of India,earlier this year,Addiction won many accolades by critics. People often forget the television part of FTII, says Pandya,laughing. After graduating from FTII last year,Pandya has been working at an advertisement agency in Mumbai.
But there are several problems faced by the department as well. One of the major ones is that of the duration of the television courses. Ahmad says,One year is not enough time to train students in a comprehensive manner. The television industry be it entertainment,documentary or news is so dynamic in nature that it evolves constantly. We are considering changing the duration of the course to two years. We are currently finalising the syllabus and ironing out other details.
