Students at the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) Itanagar campus are boycotting classes, demanding immediate campus repairs or relocation. Forty-five students refuse to return for their second semester. Classes are scheduled to start December 15, 2025 , but students require a written action plan addressing campus facilities, academic transparency, and safety.
FTII Itanagar, in Arunachal Pradesh, is the country’s newest national film institute and an extended campus of Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute (SRFTI), Kolkata. Students cleared the FTII Joint Entrance Test (JET) last year. They expected training at a premier institute but found a half-built campus with non-functional equipment and makeshift classrooms.
Campus Lacks Essential Facilities
An RTI inquiry confirmed the FTII Itanagar campus lacks promised facilities. These include functional studios, edit labs, and essential safety provisions. Students report no dedicated sound studio. Equipment for film studies remains non-functional.
Vikas, a student, stated, “We cannot compromise on infrastructure anymore.” Students say they were not given complete information about campus facilities before joining. Many would have reconsidered their admission.
Specifically, screen acting students require three functional spaces: a dance studio with mirrors, a large multi-use acting studio, and a black box theatre. None are available. The administration proposed using a small storage room, less than 70 square feet, for makeup, which students rejected as inadequate.
The campus also lacks dedicated departments for props, carpentry, or costumes. This forces students to arrange materials themselves, impacting learning and raising safety concerns. A preview theatre with a proscenium, essential for professional screenings and presentations, is also missing from the campus.
Timeline of Protests and Demands
FTII Itanagar admissions closed on October 22, 2024 . The screen acting course began on March 10, 2025 . Students began raising concerns in December 2024 . They wrote to the administration and met with SRFTI and Ministry of Information and Broadcasting officials in early 2025 .
Frustration led to the first academic halt, a collective protest, in March 2025 . A second halt followed in May 2025 due to ongoing delays. These protests involved students from all three departments: acting (20 students), writing (15 students), and documentary cinema (10 students).
The first semester ended with infrastructure issues largely unaddressed. The second semester was scheduled to begin on December 2, 2025 . Acting students notified authorities they would not return to campus without basic infrastructure or safe temporary accommodation.
On December 4, 2025 , students received a formal letter from the institute. It ordered them to return by December 14, 2025 , for classes starting the next day.
Academic Issues and Priorities
Students have repeatedly asked for clear information on the syllabus, weekly class plans, and assessment methods. Vikas stated a revised syllabus was promised in July 2025 but never delivered. While generally satisfied with early faculty, students cite a lack of structure and vague syllabus connections in classes led by later-appointed instructors.
Students expressed frustration that while campus construction remains incomplete, the institute planned to send students to the Goa Film Festival in November 2025 . They view this as a misplacement of priorities given their immediate needs.
Students Refuse to be Forgotten
Students insist their demands are the minimum required for a credible national acting program. Having already lost one semester to delays and protests, they state they cannot afford another. “We are the first batch of FTII Itanagar. We refuse to be the forgotten batch,” a student said. They demand all minimum academic conditions be met or immediate relocation to a functional campus.
FTII Itanagar director Jane Namchu refused to comment on the reported delays and facility gaps.