M.G.R. Educational and Research Institute, Chennai

The M.G.R. Government Film and Television Training Institute, popularly known earlier as Madras Film Institute, is Asia's first-ever film and television training institute and one of the pioneer film institutes in India. Established in 1945 as Adyar Film Institute, it was originally part of the Central Polytechnic before moving to its present campus in the Tharamani area of Chennai in 1965. The campus, once spread over 54 acres, has been reduced to about 10 acres due to urbanisation, with parts of the land given to IIT Madras and various IT companies. The institute is run by the Department of Information and Public Relations, Government of Tamil Nadu. Its diplomas are approved by the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), while its certificates are awarded by the Department of Technical Education, Government of Tamil Nadu. In 2006, it was renamed after former Chief Minister M. G. Ramachandran. The associated MGR Film City, started in 1994, was visited by Queen Elizabeth II in 1997 during the filming of Marudhanayagam. The institute offers four-year bachelor's degree courses in Screenplay and Direction, Cinematography, Sound Recording and Sound Engineering, and Film Editing and Film Processing, admitting only 14 students per course. Trotsky Marudu was appointed president of the institute on 11 November 2024.