Good cinema is still alive. Because people watching and propagating them are also actively working to keep it alive. This is the story of the People's Film Collective, a West Bengal-based independent, autonomous, people-funded cultural collective working toward preserving cinema.
At PFC, they believe in the motto "People's cinema with people's support". Formed in 2013, the collective focuses on films and movies as a method of pedagogy of the alternate media for people. If you are a true cinema enthusiast, you would be happy to know about their various initiatives.
Their biggest event is the Kolkata People's Film Festival, which is being held since 2014 and happens every year once, in January. If not anything else, you will surely come out more educated about films, since they screen independent films, art films and documentaries from India and other south & south-east Asian countries. The screenings are usually followed by discussions with the eminent directors, including a list of international film making stalwarts.
Apart from KPFF, PFC also organises monthly film screenings and conversations on topical and contemporary socio-political issues. One beautiful initiative that is worth mentioning is their Travelling Cinema, where they go to several districts of Bengal, on invitation from civil society groups, unions and other democratic platforms, with films & movemental videos. They can see movemental videos and political documentaries made by the members of the collective.
