The Higher Education Review

From the shows we watch on television, the music we listen to on the radio, to the books and magazines we read each day, media is playing a significant role in our society today to mould lifestyle and impact human thought process. Witnessing the power of media, the youth of the country holds inclination towards the creative arts industries and aspires to create a niche for themselves in their preferred type of media. Giving wings to the dreams of such aspirants, Asian Academy of Film & Television (AAFT) was established in 1993 and is committed to offering excellent education and training in film and television.

Affiliated with two renowned universities viz. Noida International University and Shobhit University Saharanpur, AAFT boasts to have credentials which are beyond any comparison with any other media institute in India. The sprawling campus of AAFT is embodied with six schools or departments, namely- School of Cinema, School of Mass Communication, School of Fashion and Design, School of Animation, Advertising, PR & Events and School of Performing Arts. "We wanted to facilitate the variety of desire a student with creative knack could hold. Hence accordingly we included maximum courses in our offerings," shares Dr. Sandeep Marwah, President, Asian Academy of Film & Television.

Advocating cost-effective education, AAFT so far has enrolled students from 120 countries in the 70 academic programmes in various disciplines at some stage or the other, a large percentage being from Europe, Middle East, Far East and so on. "At AAFT we believe in giving every student 'education plus' where they are assured to gain range of more instruction than what is prescribed in the syllabus," adds Dr. Marwah.

Incorporating Necessary Attributes
Founded by the well-known media personality Dr. Marwah and located in Noida film city, AAFT was the first media institute to come up in North India. "As the profession of media demands for optimum practical experience, we at AAFT confers students' hands-on training where they learn from their experience and procure a strong sense of confidence to face the industry," claims Dr. Marwah. AAFT hosts four Global Festivals annually viz., Literary Festival, Film Festival, Journalism Festival, and Fashion where the students are exposed to showcase their talents and get in touch with professionals for future prospects.

Multiplying the practical training, the campus of AAFT is beatified with a radio station -107.4 FM, an in-house TV channel called MSTV, a film production house named Marwah Films, in-house newspaper 'Pahal' including five studios in-house, which are utilized for shoots by the students and also by outside institutions for holding their events.

"Advocating cost-effective education, AAFT so far has enrolled students from 120 countries in the 70 academic programmes in various disciplines at some stage or the other, a large percentage being from Europe, Middle East, Far East and so on"

Comprehending research being an integral part of education now, AAFT also houses the International Film & Television Research Centre (IFTRC) in its premises, which is the first and the only film & television research centre in the private sector in India. IFTRC routinely conducts debates, workshop and seminars, on media-related subjects, letting students acknowledge new trends and widen their horizon of knowledge.

Curving Professional out of an Amateur
With a long heritage of perfection in media instruction, AAFT holds the dignity to receive over 550 national and international awards till date. Initiating mutual associations, AAFT brag to have educational linkages with 160 countries lending a global experience to students by frequent exchange programmes. AAFT is the Headquarter of the International Chamber of Media & Entertainment Industry (ICMEI), with 196 internati-

-onal and 80 national committees associated with it. Moreover, AAFT is also associated with 3200 events for the promotion of art and culture.

"Media students are meant to be instilled with a storehouse of information and wisdom. And we suspect that more associations will open up windows for a smooth transition of knowledge," pinpoints Dr. Marwah. Given this, AAFT over the years has collaborated with the giants of media house like Zee News, NDTV, Times Group, IBN 7, Surya TV and so on.

Enduring the goal to aid students in identifying what sparks a light within them and to keep that spark ignited throughout their professional career, AAFT so far has successfully placed its students in top-notch companies such as - India News, Dainik Bhaskar, Zee Shopping, IMRB International, ITC Fortune, Make My Trip and many more. The institution today is a proud alma mater to some notable alumni viz. film actor Arjun Kapoor, Union Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, TV News presenter Ajay Kumar, just to name a few.

Today, the AAFT has achieved a global reputation through a high degree of adaptability towards the changing needs of the media industry. "We abide by to ensure our continued and persistent efforts in the future as well, so that our students achieve the highest levels of professional competence before they graduate out of AAFT," concludes Dr. Marwah.

Dr. Sandeep Marwah, President
Dr. Sandeep Marwah is a well known International media person with five World records to his credit. He is the founder of Noida Film City, which is the fastest growing film city in the World. He is also the founder director of Marwah Studios and Asian Academy of Film and Television now one of the ten best film schools of the World. Dr. Sandeep Marwah is associated with 4500 television programs, 125 feature films and 5000 training films. He is the producer of largest number of short films in the World around 2300. He has trained more than 12000 media professionals hailing from 120 countries of the World. He is recipient of 500 awards from all over the World for his contribution to films, television and media.