There was once a time when, along with literature, cinema too was considered a powerful medium of social transformation. It was not merely viewed as entertainment or commerce, but as a force capable of social awakening. Thinkers and cultural activists formed film societies, dedicating decades of effort without profit, driven solely by passion. But today, the words society, collective, and community have all but vanished from public discourse. They’ve become rare, almost quaint. The era when like-minded individuals formed groups to foster social awareness is now gone. Working selflessly without personal gain has become a rarity.

With modernization, globalization, and urbanization, people began prioritizing personal and family economic growth, striving for modern comforts. Their desires for convenience and material pleasures intensified. As a result, the collective spirit has nearly disappeared in our times, an extremely tragic development. Like other creative fields, film societies too are on the brink of extinction. Now, they are reduced to symbolic names.

 Back then, the primary goals of film societies were to cultivate audiences for meaningful and artistic cinema and to nurture a refined cinematic culture among the public. They worked diligently towards these aims. Even in the undivided Andhra Pradesh, the film society movement thrived for three to four decades as a cultural awakening. It was active in cities like Hyderabad, Vijayawada, Karimnagar, Warangal, Visakhapatnam, Vemulawada, Sircilla, Jagtial, Godavarikhani, Kurnool, Khammam, Tirupati, Chirala, Guntur, Gudivada, Kakinada, Bhimavaram, Rajahmundry, Anakapalli, and Kavali—and even in rural places like Ellareddypet.

These societies were initially founded by writers, artists, and documentary filmmakers. The world’s first film club began in France in 1924, followed by the London Film Society in 1925. Proletarian Film and Photo Leagues emerged in Japan. Many early organizers produced documentaries and later became respected film critics.

Inspired by such movements abroad, India saw its first amateur film society launched on April 22, 1937, in Bombay. The effort was spearheaded by Derek Jefferson and Stanley Jepson of The Illustrated Weekly, art critic Van Laden, and documentary filmmaker P.V. Pathy. Later, in 1947, the Calcutta Film Society was established by legends like Satyajit Ray, Chidananda Dasgupta, and Nemai Ghosh. This movement deeply influenced India’s parallel cinema, giving rise to visionaries such as Ray, Mrinal Sen, Ritwik Ghatak, Subrata Mitra, and Adoor Gopalakrishnan.

Inspired by the Calcutta Film Society, many more sprang up in cities like Delhi, Agra, Bombay, and Madras. The first International Film Festival of India, held in Bombay in 1952, significantly impacted Indian cinematic thought. In 1959, representatives from seven film societies gathered at Shri Kripalani’s home in Delhi and established the Federation of Film Societies of India, with Satyajit Ray as it’s first President and Indira Gandhi as its Vice President until 1967. Notable contributors included Vijaya Mulay, Usha Bhagat, and I.K. Gujral.

The movement also took root in Andhra Pradesh. In the 1970s and ’80s, the state had 70–80 active film societies. The first Hyderabad Film Society, started in 1963, followed by others like Cinema Circle and societies at RR Labs. In Vijayawada, I.S.K. Devarayalu; in Hyderabad, B.H.S.S. Prakash Reddy; in Karimnagar, Varala Anand and Naredla Srinivas; in Warangal, Naveen, Srinivas Rao, Nagabhushanam; in Tirupati, U.S.R. Anjaneyulu and Yatirajulu; in Kurnool, Lakshminarayana; in Visakhapatnam, Prakash Rao—these individuals led the movement with vibrant and socially conscious thinking. Karimnagar film society under the leadership of V.Anand and with support of Sri C.Partthasaradhi former IAS officer built an own 200 seat theatre FILMBHAVAN at Karimnagar. It was second in south India after Bangalore’s Suchitra, but the activities are derailed.     

They understood the power of cinema and its role in driving political and social change. Hence, their efforts were successful. Three film appreciation courses and six film festivals were held during that period. Prominent directors like B. Narsing Rao, Akkineni Kutumba Rao, Kakarlapudi, C. Uma Maheshwar Rao, K.N.T. Sastry, and M.V. Raghu offered invaluable support.

These film societies took on the responsibility of exhibiting, producing, distributing, and critically engaging with meaningful cinema. They envisioned a parallel film distribution circuit to support these screenings. Despite infrastructural challenges, they asserted their presence and proved their cultural relevance. But today, the situation has deteriorated. Generational shifts in thinking have made the very existence of such societies questionable.

In a time when the film industry is trapped in the cycle of investment, profits, market and entertainment there is a dire need for meaningful cinema. Audiences deserve exposure to world cinema. Some college campuses have initiated campus film clubs, but administrative apathy and lack of government support have led to the decline of film societies.

Once upon a time, governments used to waive entertainment tax for film society screenings. Today, they fail even to acknowledge their existence. That must change. Organizers must become proactive. Especially in universities, the state government should issue directives to establish artistically driven campus film clubs. Screening facilities exist. If students can be steered toward quality cinema, they can be protected from many social evils.

Lecturers, professors, and governments must reflect on this matter.