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Indian Film Society and formation of Celluloid Chapter at JamshedpurStart of the roadThe first film society was born on 25 October 1925 in London to introduce and initiate filmgoers in viewing serious films that did not have the box office elements to find avenues for exhibition in the regular chain of theatres. UNESCO recognizes the International Federation of Film Societies with its headquarters in Paris, having a worldwide network. In our country, the first film society, Amateur Cine Society, was founded on 22 April 1937 in Bombay. In 1943, the Bombay Film Society was formed; but it was only in 1947 that the movements could really gain momentum with the advent of the Calcutta Film Society, that was founded on 13 December 1959. 25 December 1959 witnessed the birth of a full-fledged Federation of Film Societies of India from all over India. Now it comprises of 240 film societies in the country.
Film Societies - what they are . . .Film societies are voluntary organizations to propagate the cause of good cinema; feeding and cross-pollinating the grassroots of this medium. Informality and flexibility are the preferred styles; low budget expertise is the basic content. They involve people who love this modern industrial art media, 'Cinema'. While they seek to hold academic sessions on cinema comprising film studies, they also promote cinema that combines high aesthetic, social and educational values.
And what they are not . . .The film societies are not esoteric groups. They are not commercial cinema houses. They are not film producing concerns or film financing bodies. They are not merely an elite club for exhibiting films. They are not profit making bodies and their activities cannot be judged solely on the basis of bulging surplus or sulking deficit.
And Celluloid Chapter in the glorious manger . . .Three abortive attempts to form a film society in Jamshedpur did not sour the spirits of a diehard few and the then Deputy Commissioner of undivided Singhbhum provided the spurs to the idea floated by Mr KC Mehra, Mr Tarun Ganguly, Mr Devdas Chhotray, Mr P K Sinha and others. Thus came into being a Film Society on the auspicious day of Christmas in the year 1985 at 6, Hill View Road (Jamshedpur) amidst 17 founder members who christened the organization, Celluloid Chapter, Jamshedpur. Its vibrant nature has set off a progressive spirit that can only take it further up the ladder of its aims and objectives in the promotion of art, culture and education in the realms of international exposure to peoples and lifestyles.
The manna providers . . .Celluloid Chapter was a dream come true for many. But the ones who actually dare to dream it all and provide the manna to materialize this dream into a reality, were a few from the various big and small avenues of sustenance. Such film enthusiasts comprised Sanjay Choudhary, Jimmy Mogul and PN Sinha from Tata Steel, Amitava Ghosh and Naresh Agarwal from the banking sector, Devesh Dutt Thakur and Prakash Chandra from the Fourth Estate and not-so-big businessmen like Ujjal Sinha, Suresh Sonthalia and Sanjay Chjatterjee who gave it their all while treading the sensitive terrain of fund generation and membership. Oxygen, in the form of generous support, flowed through unstintedly from Tarveen Mehra, Devdas Chhotray, IAS, Radheshyam Agarwal, Shashikant Chhaganlal at local level, and from Mrinal Sen, Samik Bandyopadhyay, Dhruba Gupta, S V Raman at Kolkata, Shyam Benegal at Mumbai ensured that the organization moved forward.
Celluloid Chapter Jamshedpur is . . .
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