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Bengal

Soon, govt to set up lab for preserving & digitising films

Kolkata: The state government has sanctioned Rs 21 crore for setting up a world-class laboratory in the city for preserving and digitising films that form a part of the state's cultural identity, an official said.

A nine-storeyed laboratory will shortly come up in Tollygunge, where a major chunk of production houses and studios of the Bengali film industry are based, he said.

"The government has massive digitisation plans and the laboratory will be equipped with all modern facilities for the purpose. An e-tender has already been floated for purchase of technical equipment," he explained.

The initiative will go a long way in helping filmmakers in the future, the official said. "The administration has also arranged for workshops to train people in handling reels and other equipment," he added.

"We are proud of the quality of films that are produced by the Bengali film industry. There are so many odds that our industry has to overcome to churn out such quality films. Tollywood has been doing very well and if they get minimum support, they have the capacity to beat Hollywood, at least in terms of the enormous talent we have," Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had said at the inaugural programme of the 24th Kolkata International Film Festival.

Earlier this year, the state government had built a film vault at the Cinema Centenary Building in Tollygunge for storing films and documentaries by some of the auteurs of Bengal in a temperature and humidity-controlled environment.

Veteran Bollywood actor Amitabh Bachchan had lauded the efforts of the Mamata Banerjee government, in taking up initiative for restoration of Bengali cinema classics.

"Our country has produced unforgettable films of very high quality. However, many of these film prints have gone up in flames for want of proper infrastructure and maintenance of old prints over time. I am thankful to Mamata Di (Mamata Banerjee) and her government in taking up the cause of restoration and tying up with Film Heritage Foundation (FHF), which has identified as many as 100

Bengali films that are in urgent need of preservation and restoration," Bachchan had said in his inaugural address at the 24th KIFF.

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