MUMBAI: India and France have signed a Cultural Exchange Programme (CEP) for the years 2007 – 2010.
The CEP envisages cooperation in the field of social sciences and humanities, higher education and university cooperation, linguistic and educational cooperation, culture and artistic exchanges, holding of exhibitions, specific action for performing art, exchanges between art school and universities, exchanges in communication and media, heritage, architecture, museology and conservation and youth affairs and sports.
As per the CEP, India and France will continue to facilitate student and teacher exchanges in visual and performing arts. The two parties also develop co-operation in the domain of design by supporting exchanges between Indian schools (Colleges of Art, National Institute of Design – NID – in Ahmadabad, National Institution of Fashion Technology in New Delhi, Shrishti in Bangalore, among others) and French schools (Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse, Ecole Normale de Musique, Ecole Nationale Supérieure de Création Industrielle – ENSCI – Cité du Design, in Saint-Etienne, Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Arts Décoratifs – ENSAD, Ecole Supérieure des Arts Décoratifs de Strasbourg – ESAD).
According to the CEP, India and France have also agreed to encourage film festivals and to promote participation of professionals in each others’ film festivals. The two countries will promote the participation of professionals in these festivals and have agreed to facilitate and accelerate the issuance of visas for the audiovisual professionals in TV as well as in cinema coming on official trips invitations in their field of activity.
The countries have also agreed to facilitate exchange of students of its film and television institutes. An MoU has been inked between Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) in Pune and Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute in Kolkata and FEMIS and INASUP of France for the same. India and France have also agreed to encourage action to fight against piracy in films and audiovisual media.
As per the CEP, India and France will also undertake to promote exchange of experts in the field of music, dance and theatre.
Professional interaction between Indian and French directors and actors and encouraging the co-creation and dissemination in different domains of performing arts is also on the cards.
In theatre especially, the French party is keen on developing high quality productions with Indian partners (by participating in festivals of national reputation such as the Prithvi Festival) and Bharat Rang Mahotsava of National School of Drama.
Both parties agree to encourage artists’ residency programmes for French artists in India and Indian artists in France primarily owing to the Centre International des Récollets and the Cité Internationale des Arts in all artistic disciplines (performing arts, visual arts, fashion and design) and NGMA, India, as well as the dissemination of works resulting from these.
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