Journal Title: Wide Screen
Vol. 9, No.1, July 2022
ISSN: 1757-3920
URL: http://widescreenjournal.org

Introduction: Nilotpal Majumdar graduated from FTII with a major in editing in 1989. He is the ex-dean of the Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute of India (SRFTI). He is currently the director of Manipur State Film and Television Institute (MFTI), an Institute nestled in the remote Indian State of Manipur, previously rife with political tension and insurgency in the Northeast of India. Nilotpal Majumdar, or Shantida as he is referred to because of his calm and composed nature, was awarded the EDN 2017 (European Documentary Network) Award for initiating international documentary culture in India. He is also the man behind India’s first incubation, pitching and mentoring forum for Documentaries called Documentary Resource Initiative (DRI). In absence of a formalized structure for documentary education as a part of film school training in India and the apathy of the Indian State towards its non-fiction film industry, Nilotpal Majumdar’s work in connecting global Documentary networks with Indian filmmakers is pathbreaking, and strives to make India and its documentary filmmakers more accessible to the rest of the World. This interview, was conducted over video conferencing in July 2021, over four individual sessions. He talks in depth about the state of documentary education in India, his previous experience at SRFTI and setting up MFTI in the state of Manipur. He then elaborates on the idea behind Documentary Resource Initiative, and how it is helping Indian filmmakers by connecting their projects with stakeholders from the rest of the World.