Govt to set up West Bengal Film Academy

Kolkata: The state government has set up West Bengal Film Academy (WBFA) to ensure an overall development and promotion of the film sector in the state.

It may be mentioned that a notification has been issued, announcing the setting up of WBFA. There are a total of 23 members in it, with Aroop Biswas, the state Youth Services and Sports minister, as its chairman.

The members of WBFA include personalities from the film industry, representatives of different associations, senior officials of the state Information and Cultural Affairs department, etc.

Director Goutam Ghosh, actor Prosenjit Chatterjee, MP and actor Dipak Adhikari, MP Satabdi Roy, director Shoojit Sircar, Srikanta Mohta and many others from the film industry are in WBFA.

Moreover, the presidents of the bodies, including Federation of Cine Technician and Workers of Eastern India and Eastern India Motion Pictures Association, are also its members.

Among state government officials, Principal Secretary of the Information and Cultural Affairs department, Finance Secretary, Director of Films, Director and CEO of Roopkala Kendra and managing director of West Bengal Film Development Corporation Limited, are also members of WBFA. The CEO of Nandan and Director of Kolkata International Film Festival is the member-secretary and its convener.

It has been stated that the step to set up WBFA has been taken to encourage and promote development of films and to act as an "umbrella body" for all issues related to the film industry. With setting up of the same, stress will be given on the development of infrastructure needed for the industry.

Moreover, it will also ensure creation of employment opportunities in the sector and at the same time, the body can also give advice on various ongoing issues, to sort out the problems faced by producers, distributors and exhibitors.

The body can also extend necessary help in connection with the ongoing schemes such as group mediclaim policies, accident insurance schemes for the cine and television artistes and workers in the studios.

Members of WBFA will

also seek to ensure further development of Roopkala

Kendra, West Bengal Film Development Corporation Limited, Cinema Centenary Building and other related institutions.