FTII & SRFTI Entrance Exam
Complete preparation guide for Film and Television Institute of India — India's premier film school entrance
Programme at a glance
Conducting body
FTII (Film and Television Institute of India) / SRFTI Kolkata
Total marks
300 marks total (Written 200 + Interview 100)
Duration
Written: 3 hours; Interview: 30–45 minutes (panel)
Mode
Written test at designated centres + Personal Interview in Pune/Kolkata
Frequency
Annual (applications usually January–March)
Eligibility
Graduation in any discipline; specific age limits vary by course (25–30 years for acting)
Total applicants
~15,000–20,000 applicants for ~250 seats across all courses
Institutions
FTII Pune (all film/TV courses), SRFTI Kolkata (film & electronic media)
Selection stages — what each evaluates
General Knowledge & Current Affairs
Objective50 questions50 marksFilm & Media Studies
Written10 essays / analytical questions100 marksCreative Writing / Scenario Development
Practical2–3 creative writing tasks50 marksPersonal Interview (Panel)
InterviewOpen panel discussion100 marksPremier institutions and what they offer
Film and Television Institute of India (FTII)
Pune, Maharashtra
Post-Graduate Diploma (3-year) in Film Direction, Cinematography, Sound Design, Editing, Production Design, Acting
India's premier film institution and among the top 10 film schools globally. Alumni: Naseeruddin Shah, Om Puri, Shabana Azmi, Jaya Bachchan, Mani Kaul, Kumar Shahani. Government-funded — fees are subsidised (Rs 15,000–40,000/year). Campus has 50+ years of film equipment, sets, and editing suites. Student films routinely win at international festivals.
Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute (SRFTI)
Kolkata, West Bengal
Post-Graduate Diploma (3-year) in Filmmaking disciplines
Named after Satyajit Ray, SRFTI has a distinct emphasis on parallel and art cinema traditions. Kolkata's cultural context (Bengali literature, theatre, classical music) deeply informs the curriculum. SRFTI students have strong festival presence at Cannes, Berlin, and Rotterdam student film sections. Eastern India's strongest film production network for graduates.
Whistling Woods International
Mumbai, Maharashtra
BA / BFA / MA in Filmmaking, Screen Acting, Media Management
India's leading private film school, founded by Subhash Ghai. Strong industry placement through Mukta Arts and Mumbai film industry connections. Higher fees (Rs 4–8 lakh/year) but strong internship and production house tie-ups. Entrance requires written test + audition (for acting) or portfolio (for direction/cinematography).
National School of Drama (NSD)
New Delhi
Post-Graduate Diploma in Dramatic Arts (3-year)
India's most prestigious theatre training institution. NSD alumni: Om Puri, Naseeruddin Shah, Neena Gupta, Irrfan Khan, Anupam Kher. Admission through written + audition + interview. Government institution; minimal fees. NSD certificate is the strongest theatre credential for film/TV casting in India. Annual NSD Rep Alumnus theatre network is unparalleled.
Preparation timeline
Cinematic Education
6 monthsBuild film literacy through systematic film watching and theory reading
- ✓Watch 100 essential films: 40 Indian (Ray, Ghatak, Kaul, Benegal, Santoshi), 30 world classics (Godard, Tarkovsky, Kubrick, Kurosawa), 30 contemporary (Nolan, Park Chan-wook, Alfonso Cuarón)
- ✓Maintain a film diary with notes on mise-en-scène, editing rhythm, sound design, and story structure
- ✓Read: Film Art: An Introduction (Bordwell & Thompson), Understanding Movies (Giannetti)
- ✓Study Indian film history from Dadasaheb Phalke (1913) to current streaming landscape
- ✓Watch every FTII student film available on YouTube — understand the house aesthetic
Creative Writing Practice
3 monthsDevelop screenwriting and visual storytelling abilities
- ✓Write one short scene per week (500–800 words) in proper screenplay format
- ✓Practice adapting literary excerpts to visual scenes — describe what camera shows, not what characters think
- ✓Study Save the Cat (Blake Snyder) and Story (Robert McKee) for structural frameworks
- ✓Write 3 complete short film scripts (5–10 pages each)
- ✓Get feedback from writers groups, film clubs, or online screenwriting forums
GK & Media Studies Deep Dive
2 monthsCultural GK and film theory for the objective and analytical sections
- ✓Create a timeline of world cinema movements with key films and directors
- ✓Study Indian music forms: Ragas (Hindustani), Carnatic structure, folk traditions (Baul, Lavani)
- ✓Read about OTT disruption: how Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Hotstar changed Indian content
- ✓Study seminal film theories: Auteur (Truffaut), Montage (Eisenstein), Realism (Bazin)
- ✓Follow current affairs with specific attention to art, culture, and social cinema
Interview & Portfolio Preparation
4 weeksCurate your creative portfolio and practise panel interview
- ✓Select 5 films you can discuss in depth (director, style, social context, personal impact)
- ✓Practise articulating your creative vision in 3 sentences — why filmmaking, what you want to say
- ✓If you have creative work (films, scripts, photography), create a focused portfolio PDF
- ✓Do mock interviews with a filmmaker, teacher, or film club member who will push back
- ✓Read interviews of FTII/SRFTI alumni about their admission experience for preparation insight
Career paths in performing arts and film
Film Director / Assistant Director
Rs 25,000–80,000/month (AD); Rs 5–50 lakh/film (Director)
FTII direction graduates typically work as ADs for 3–5 years before directing their first feature. Debut films often go the festival route. OTT platforms now actively commission first-time directors — Netflix India, Amazon Prime Video, and Hotstar all have first-look deals with FTII alumni. Director fees scale dramatically with success: Rs 2–5 crore/film for established directors.
Cinematographer / DOP
Rs 50,000–1,50,000/month (feature films); Rs 5,000–25,000/day (commercial)
Cinematography is the most commercially in-demand FTII specialisation. FTII DOPs work across film, OTT, advertising, and documentary. A single large commercial campaign pays Rs 3–8 lakh for a DOP. Feature film DOPs earn Rs 15–60 lakh per film at senior levels. International career path opens through European and American independent cinema collaborations.
Theatre Actor / Film Character Actor
Rs 15,000–50,000/month (theatre); Rs 50,000–5,00,000/episode (OTT)
NSD and FTII acting graduates are consistently cast in critically acclaimed films and OTT series. The OTT explosion created massive demand for trained character actors — NSD alumni are disproportionately cast in prestige projects (Sacred Games, Mirzapur, Delhi Crime, Panchayat). Theatre work supplements income and maintains craft. Feature film lead roles pay Rs 50 lakh–5 crore at major star level.
Film Editor / Post-Production Supervisor
Rs 40,000–1,00,000/month (assistant editor to editor)
Editing is the most stable film career — every project needs an editor. FTII editors work across feature films, documentaries, OTT series, and advertising. Senior editors earn Rs 15–40 lakh per feature film. Editing is increasingly remote-work compatible, enabling international collaborations. AVID and DaVinci Resolve proficiency (gained at FTII) are globally portable skills.
Documentary Filmmaker / Journalist
Rs 30,000–60,000/month (TV documentary); Rs 2–15 lakh/documentary (independent)
India's documentary sector is growing rapidly — VICE India, BBC India, Netflix documentary commissions, and NFDC support create sustained demand. FTII documentary direction graduates have the strongest festival track record in India. International co-productions with IDFA (Amsterdam), Sundance, and Hot Docs open global funding routes.
Common mistakes that eliminate candidates
Applying without having watched at least 50 classic films — FTII interviewers detect superficial film knowledge immediately and it eliminates candidates faster than any written test score.
Writing generic personal statements like "I have always loved movies" — every applicant loves movies; what makes your perspective on cinema distinctive is what FTII evaluates.
Focusing only on Indian mainstream cinema and ignoring world cinema — FTII syllabus explicitly covers French New Wave, Italian Neorealism, Soviet Montage, and Iranian New Wave which appear in written tests.
Not practising screenwriting format — FTII expects industry-standard screenplay format (Courier 12pt, scene headings, action lines, character cues); writing in prose narrative format signals unfamiliarity with the medium.
Attending the interview without a specific creative project to discuss — even a 5-minute short film shot on phone, a photo essay, or a stage performance demonstrates initiative over theoretical knowledge.
Assuming FTII entrance is only for film direction — Cinematography, Sound Design, Editing, and Production Design seats are less competed for while offering equally strong career outcomes; apply for your genuine specialisation.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a film-related degree to apply for FTII?
No — FTII accepts graduation in any discipline. Science, engineering, medicine, commerce, humanities — all are eligible. In fact, FTII values diverse academic backgrounds because filmmakers draw from all domains. Satyajit Ray was trained as a graphic artist, not a filmmaker. Many FTII alumni are engineers, doctors, or English literature graduates. Your degree subject matters far less than your cultural literacy and creative capacity.
Is there an age limit for FTII admission?
Age limits vary by course. Acting courses typically have an upper age of 25–28 years. Direction, Cinematography, Sound, Editing, and Production Design often allow candidates up to 30 years. Check the specific course notification each year — FTII occasionally revises age limits. SRFTI has slightly different (and sometimes more flexible) age criteria than FTII.
How selective is FTII compared to IIT or AIIMS?
FTII's acceptance rate for the Direction course is approximately 0.5–1% — more selective than IIT (2–3%) and comparable to AIIMS (1%). Approximately 15,000–20,000 candidates compete for roughly 12–15 direction seats. Sound Recording and Cinematography are slightly less competitive. The selectivity is based not on a standardised score but on subjective evaluation of creative potential — making it simultaneously more unpredictable and more accessible to unconventional candidates.
Can I prepare for FTII while working a full-time job?
Yes — many successful FTII admits prepared while working. The key difference from other competitive exams is that FTII preparation is about building a lifestyle of cultural engagement, not cramming a syllabus. Watching films systematically (3–4 per week), reading about cinema, writing creatively (1 scene per week), and following cultural current affairs can be integrated into a working professional's schedule over 6–12 months.
What happens after FTII — how do graduates find work?
FTII and SRFTI do not have campus placement in the traditional sense — the film industry operates through networks, not recruitment drives. However, the FTII alumni network is the most powerful film industry network in India. Student films made at FTII serve as calling cards. Many students are approached by production houses during or shortly after the programme. FTII-trained professionals typically find their first feature film or OTT project within 2–3 years of graduating through the alumni referral network.
Get coached by someone who has cleared FTII or SRFTI entrance with a strong creative portfolio
Graduates (any discipline) with a serious interest in filmmaking, direction, acting, cinematography, sound design, or film editing. Age 20–30 typically (no strict upper age for most courses). Prior film-making experience helps but is not mandatory — conceptual clarity and cinematic sensibility are what FTII tests.