In a joint initiative, the IFA-TCRC Scholarly and Creative Projects has been launched, aiming to engage arts practitioners and researchers in revitalising South Indian cinema archives.
Lobby Cards from The Cinema Resource Centre's collection. (TCRC)
Three years ago, at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, I engaged in a conversation with Sruti Harihara Subramanian, a national award-winning filmmaker and the founder-trustee of the Tamil Cinema Resource Centre (TCRC).
TCRC, a non-profit public archive, is dedicated to Indian cinema and was designed to facilitate research on audio-visual cultural artefacts produced by Indian films.
During our discussion, Sruti shared her decade-long journey with TCRC, expressing a hint of concern. At that time, they were preparing to host screenings, discussions, and collaborations to celebrate a decade of TCRC.
However, the pandemic disrupted their plans, putting everything on hold. As a bootstrapped organisation, uncertainty loomed over how long they could sustain the archival process in the prevailing situation. Despite these challenges, Sruti clung to her dream of creating a cinematic haven.
Fast forward to today, Sruti remains resolute in ensuring that her dream doesn’t crumble.
In a significant collaboration, TCRC has partnered with the India Foundation for the Arts (IFA) to launch the IFA-TCRC Scholarly and Creative Projects. IFA will oversee and execute this initiative as part of the Archives and Museums programme.
This joint initiative seeks to provide arts practitioners and researchers with a unique opportunity to engage with and revitalise archives and museum collections.
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“It was natural for TCRC to team up with the well-established IFA. While TCRC has been quietly navigating its journey as a bootstrapped organisation, the collaboration comes at a strategic time, allowing us to enhance our archival efforts,” Sruti tells South First.
IFA and TCRC are currently inviting applications for this programme, aiming to encourage critical and creative approaches for public engagement.
The programme specifically targets the Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, and Kannada languages.
The primary idea revolves around two focus projects, inviting researchers and collaborators to explore TCRC’s extensive film-related materials.
One aspect is a Scholarly Project dedicated to the in-depth research of lobby cards from 1950s to 1990s Tamil cinema, aiming to compile them into compelling monographs, essays and catalogues.
Lobby cards, beyond their film-related content, have undergone a fascinating evolution.
“The technology behind their creation has varied. From silver bromide photographs stuck on cardboard, regular black-and-white imagery, and embossed prints featuring film names, to colour prints and more modern forms like digital prints featuring the film’s name. So, one can trace the technical intricacies of this evolution too,” Sruti elaborates.
The details cover technical aspects and reveal information about the films, associated lobby cards, and the choice of scenes or stills used for promotion.
“In parallel, we are embarking on a Creative Project, opening up a treasure trove of film reviews from old magazines,” she shares.
This compilation comprises critiques of Tamil cinema featured in diverse magazines spanning the 1930s to the 1990s. Some of these are part of annual editions, while others stem from fortnightly or weekly periodicals.
“These reviews, often by well-known writers of the time, offer a unique glimpse into the history of how Tamil cinema was critiqued,” she shares.
Highlighting a specific instance, Sruti illustrates how the depth of these conversations and the art of cinematic writing came to light during her exploration of the archives.
“I came across an early publication of Thuglak magazine by Cho Ramaswamy,” she narrates.
Within its pages, there was a review of Patham Pasali (1970) by director K Balachander (KB) — perhaps a less popular one. In its critique, the magazine didn’t offer a glowing review.
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“Interestingly, beneath the assessment, there was a printed response by KB. The review may have been shared with KB before publication. KB’s reply conveyed a sense of humility. It stated: ‘I plead guilty’,” she shares.
These exchanges add a layer of intrigue to the discourse. A magazine run by Cho, a prominent actor and well-known writer, fearlessly expressing its views on a film by a heavyweight director like KB. Equally noteworthy, Balachander, rather than defending himself, responded with humility.
“Such candid and respectful dialogues between key figures in the industry reveal the robust and healthy discourse around Tamil cinema during that era,” she elucidates.
Under this Creative Project, the emphasis will be on generating creative outcomes like physical or virtual exhibitions, films, and podcasts, for increased public outreach.
TCRC currently houses around 5,000 lobby cards and more than 1,000 magazines in its collection.
The call for applications is open to curators, artists, researchers, writers, performers, and scholars. They must have a keen interest in working with archival and museum collections.
Proposals should succinctly outline the project, encompassing vision, approach, and potential outcomes based on provided visual and textual materials.
“Additionally, a brief note on potential public programmes, a detailed budget not exceeding ₹2,00,000, and a curriculum vitae describing previous projects with outcomes and processes are necessary. Writers can compose proposals in any Indian language, and English,” shares Sruti.
The deadline for applications is November 26, 2023, with shortlisted candidate interviews expected in December. The selected projects will commence in January 2024, spanning one year.
Applicants can be from anywher. However, collaborators participating in the projects must physically visit and research the collections at TCRC’s space in Chennai. Sruti emphasises the importance of knowing Tamil, highlighting its crucial role in engaging meaningfully with the materials.
Amid the growing interest in the TCRC archive, fueled by social media and niche interests, Sruti acknowledges a heightened sense of responsibility.
“Our responsibility is to not only showcase the diverse range within our collection. But, it also contributes to the discourse around South Indian cinema,” she says.
“As we progress with these collaborative projects, we aim to spotlight South Indian cinema’s multifaceted history. This will bridge the gap between what audiences see on OTT platforms and the wealth of material in our archive,” she adds.
All submissions, along with queries, should be directed to Ritwika Misra at ritwika@indiaifa.org, using the subject line: Application for IFA – TCRC. For additional information on the proposal details and application guidelines, visit Instagram handles @Indiaifa and @thecinemaresourcecentre.
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