Do you remember how rarely we stay back in a multiplex once the lights come on and the end credits roll? Most of us are already making our way to the exit by then. We may cheer or clap when the name of our favourite actor or director flashes on the big screen, but the many faces behind the scenes often go unnoticed.
On Sunday evening at Technicians’ Studio in Kolkata, however, the script was flipped. This time, it was the technicians who were recognised and felicitated, while actors, directors and producers cheered them on.
In a first-of-its-kind initiative, the Federation of Cine Technicians & Workers of Eastern India (FCTWEI) introduced the Federation Excellence Award to honour the contributions of technicians in the film and television industry. The initiative aims to acknowledge professionals who work tirelessly throughout the year, often without any recognition.
Swarup Biswas, president, FCTWEI, said, “Technicians work on projects all year without receiving any acknowledgement. Over the past year, there has been a lot of mudslinging and blame directed at FCTWEI. But for us, the recognition of our technicians and their efforts matters the most. I am happy that we could finally honour their contribution.”
The event saw the presence of several leading Tollywood personalities, including superstars Prosenjit Chatterjee and Dev, producers Srikant Mohta, Nispal Singh and Nilanjana, director-producer Shiboprosad Mukhopadhyay, director Kaushik Ganguly, cinematographer Soumik Haldar and music composer Indraadip Dasgupta.
“The technicians are the backbone of the industry,” said Dev. Prosenjit echoed the sentiment and said that the position actors enjoy today is possible only because of the relentless work of technicians behind the camera. The Federation not only felicitated technicians from the world of cinema and TV, but also young director Arjunn Dutta, who recently won the National Award for Best Bengali feature film ‘Deep Fridge’.