Visions of Development | Resources

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Although many of the resources related to the study of Indian documentary film have not been available, a number of websites contain relevant information for those who would like to study this topic further.

 

The Colonial Film Project (CFP)

CFP contains online streaming documentary films made during the period of British colonialism in India and other parts of the Empire. The site includes context and analysis by leading scholars on colonial cinema.

 

Films Division’s YouTube Channel

FD’s YouTube channel contains hundreds of streaming digitized documentaries and newsreels available free of charge. New films are being added on a regular basis.

 

Imperial War Museum’s Website

Several of the colonial-era films from both India and other parts of the Empire, particularly related to World War II, can be accessed through this website.

 

Sarkari Shorts

This website contains annotations for many of FD’s online streaming films by the writer and film critic Alexander Keefe. Many of the commentaries contain valuable insights into the relationship between FD films and other contemporaneous art forms.

 

Media Ecology Project (MEP)

Hosted by Dartmouth College, USA

MEP is a digital resource that enables researchers to digitally access archival moving image collections and contribute back to the archival and research communities through the fluid contribution of metadata and other knowledge. The Media Ecology Project enables new research capacities toward the critical understanding of historical media and facilitates a dynamic context of research that develops in relation to its use over time by a wide range of users. One key MEP pilot is focused on the legacy of documentaries produced by the FD. The Films Division pilot study was initiated in December 2014; an international team of scholars has undertaken original research on Films Division materials within the MEP research environment for this pilot study. 

 

South and South-East Asia Documentary Film Research Website

Hosted by Academy of Film, School of Communication, Hong Kong Baptist University

This website acts as an online platform for researchers and practitioners active in the field of South and South-East Asian documentary film theory, history and practice; its aim is to present, share and discuss research activities, findings and filmmaking practices. The website also serves as an online archive holding primary and secondary research materials ― including texts (government documents), images, video and audio files ― pertaining to the subject of documentary film in South and South-East Asia. This material spans the colonial, late colonial and postcolonial periods, as well as aspects of contemporary independent documentary film. The website includes material from Hong Kong government funded research projects that pertains to Indian documentary cinema.