The Centre for Film and Media Studies has been active in disseminating knowledge about the art of film- making and presenting it as a career option – both as an academic discipline and as a centre for delivering technical knowledge. The Centre is the only one of its kind amongst the Universities in North Bengal. It will soon launch a six month certificate course on film making. The Centre has been functional in screening socially relevant films, organizing screen debates and initiating social awareness among students through them. It has hosted lectures on the technicalities of film-making by film-makers and Professors of film Studies .Internationally renowned filmmaker ShriBuddhadebDasgupta had lectured for two days on the nuances of filmmaking at this Centre. It also hosted lecture by Prof SanjayMukhopadhyay, Department of Film Studies, Jadavpur University who had spoken on the options of taking jobs related to the sphere of filmmaking.
The Centre for Film and Media Studies, Raiganj University is also playing a pioneering role in the generation of interest in the field of photography. The sudden spurt in the field of visual modes of communication and its importance as visual archives of knowledge has accorded to photography its contemporary relevance .Specialization in the field of photographic knowledge can help students to exercise it as a career option- both as independant photographers and as employees of firms. In this socio- economically backward zone like Uttar Dinajpur district the Centre took the innovative initiative to organise a fortnight long series of programmes to encourage students to take interest in photography. In its endeavour to highlight the importance of alternative professions in the face of over dependence on agrarian methods for sustenance, the Centre along with the Department of Political Science and the Centre for Women’s Studies collaborated with Raiganj School of Photography to organise Photography Exhibition, Competition and Workshop in the month of August, 2019. The Programme culminated in the celebration of World Photography Day on 19th August, 2019.Professional knowledge about the technicalities of Photography was provided to all the students who had participated in the programme.
The Photography exhibition was held in the MBA classroom and was a huge success. Experts had selected about a hundred photographs out of a submission of more than three hundred. Certificate of participation was awarded to all the students whose photographs were selected.Keeping in mind the issues of climate change plaguing the world the Centre selected the theme of “environment” as one of its categories of judgement.