This 'Adult' Film was supposed to release on Friday, on November 14! A new-generation Bengali pulp fiction, The Academy of Fine Arts got a 'A' rating even after a massive 54 cuts. The promotions were on, the premiere invitations went sent, yet the makers and producers had to cancel the event just an evening before. The Federation of Cine Technicians and Workers of Eastern India (FCTWEI) has ordered that the film cannot be released. What really happened?
As per the rules by FCTWEI, concerning guild members, include mandatory hiring of crew for some shoots. Previously, filmmakers have criticised the FCTWEI for imposing rules that increase budget and limit creative freedom, such as restricting the ability to hire technicians of their choice among other things.
And this happened to be the point of contention in this case. Made over a period of four years, the film has been made independently by Jayabrata Das and his film institute friends, entirely with their own funds. The production was halted several times due to financial constraints, only to be revived again as they gathered further fundings. Also, the team had started the shooting of the film when the FCTWEI rules weren't even implemented.
Notably, the film boasts of renowned actors like Rudranil Ghosh, Saurav Das, Payel Sarkar, Rishav Basu, Rahul Arunoday Banerjee, Anuradha Mukherjee and others, most of whom became a part of this project without any remuneration to support emerging talents and be a part of a first-of-its-kind Bengali film.
As per sources, multiple requests and apology letters have been sent to the federation to allow the film's release, but no positive news has been received yet. Also, the film has been pulled down from all the theatres where it was supposed to get released. It is for the first time that such an unfortunate incident has taken place in the industry. Previously, Dostojee was stuck was a long time but something like this took place for the first time.
The Academy of Fine Arts, as the director describes, is a pulp action thriller- A love letter to Quentin Tarantino. Though primarily an action-thriller, he has blended the genre with comedy to give it a unique tone and twisted contextuality.
At the heart of the story lies an extremely expensive antique liquor bottle and a motley group of criminals plotting to steal it. As they put their plan into motion, one incident leads to another, creating a chain of twists, counterplans, and double-crosses that drive the film’s narrative forward. Finishing the film was made possible with support from Soumya Sarkar and Prateek Chakravorty, helming Promod Films, both of whom are known faces in the industry and both of whom have been supporting independent filmmakers for some years, now.
Just as we are publishing this news, the makers are still in talks with the concerned authorities to ensure the release of the film.
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