Netpac (India)

A lack of accessible information about Asian films has long been identified as a factor hampering serious research into Asian Cinema. Netpac (India), an independent non-profit organisation based in New Delhi, serves a vital function in both providing information on Indian and Asian Cinema and creating interest in acquiring it. It serves as an important intermediary between Indian and Asian film directors and international festivals. Information provided by them on Mongolian and Vietnamese film trends has contributed greatly to awareness of these cinemas worldwide.

Ms. Aruna Vasudev, who leads Netpac (India), established the noted film quarterly Cinemaya – a low-cost Sight & Sound – and actively campaigned to promote awareness on Indian, Asian and other films. Cinemaya, which has accumulated a significant body of film related material, recommends Indian, and programmes Asian films for a variety of International Film Festivals (Hawaii, Istanbul, Hong Kong, Fribourg, Amiens, and Singapore). Cinemaya's holdings are now with Netpac (India), and the film quarterly is the official journal of Netpac.

This grant will help Netpac (India) classify, preserve and store its material professionally, enhancing its information services and dissemination capabilities.

Material with the organisation includes film indexes and catalogues of international cinema; 500 books in English and French on international cinema, over 50 books published on Indian cinema in English, French and German, and some rare books on the cinemas of Korea, China, Japan, Philippines, Turkey, Indonesia and Iran. The material also includes international festival catalogues produced over the past ten years and catalogues of the International Film Festival of India since the first festival in 1952.

The organization also has material that includes the National Film Awards for the past twenty years; the Indian Panorama books since it began in the 1960s; and reports of national film committees, research papers, unpublished thesis, magazines, photographs and about 100 videos of Asian feature films.

Netpac (India) will develop a common database with the National Film Archives of India (NFAI) Pune, which largely follows the conventions of the International Festival of Film Archives (FIAF). This is in order to prevent unnecessary duplication and set the ground for computer-based information linkages. Furthermore, it is suggested that their video tapes be placed at NFAI or any other archive that has facilities for their proper storage and maintenance.