WE DON'T TEACH FILMMAKING — WE MOULD FILMMAKERS
Chetana Media Institute creates the right environment for free and fearless expressions of human spirit in life and art.
Facilitate effective intervention in favour of peace, justice, and harmony through instruction - production - interaction.
Founded in 2002 by the CMI Fathers of Devamatha Province, Chetana Media Institute is a premier centre for Film, Broadcast, and Online Media education in Kerala, and is the first-ever film school in the private sector in Kerala. Located in Thrissur, the cultural capital of the state, Chetana has consistently nurtured aspiring film directors, cinematographers, editors, and other media professionals through a curriculum rooted in creativity, hands-on learning, and ethical storytelling.
We don’t create classrooms, we create filmmakers. Our mission is simple: to train professionals for the digital age who can write, shoot, and edit with confidence.
At Chetana Media Institute, we offer more than just film education—we deliver a highly practical, industry-driven learning experience. As we have always stated, “We Don’t Teach Filmmaking, We Mould Filmmakers”. Our programmes blend academic rigour with real-world industry practices, offering specialised training under branches like Direction, Cinematography, Editing, Broadcast and Online Media. The Faculty panel at Chetana comprises alumni from prestigious film schools like FTII, SRFTII and professionals from various media industries.
With an affordable fee structure, we remain committed to quality in every aspect of media training. Since our faculty are predominantly working professionals creatively engaged in cinema and broadcast media, our training modules bring real-world insights into the classroom.
Our Learning by Doing approach enables the students to get hands-on, production-based experiences in a professional environment with state-of-the-art equipment and studios. The success of our alumni in the Film and Broadcast industry in India and overseas stands as proof of that commitment.
Launched by FTII & SRFTII graduates, Chetana has trained 16+ diploma batches and 90+ certificate batches. Our films have won awards at national and international festivals, proving that creativity has a home here.
Reverend Father Isaac Alappat, a member of Thrissur Devamatha Provinee of Carmelites of Mary Immaculate (CMI) congregation, is the founder of Chetana Institutions. In the early 1980s, he sowed the first seeds of a noble dream that he named 'CHETANA' (Communication to Hasten Educational Technological Artistic and National Advancement). As a precursor to his master plan, namely the Chetana Film and Television Institute project, which he envisioned modelled after Hollywood production studios, Fr. Isaac founded Chetana Sound Studios in the early 1980s. It was widely acclaimed as one of the best studios in South India and the only underground studio in the country in those days. Chetana Mass Media Complex was declared open by H.H. Pope John Paul II (now St. John Paul ll) when he visited Trichur in February 1986.
Chetana later branched out into seven institutions with international standards. Hundreds of nationally and internationally known musicians and film luminaries have made use of the facilities offered at different units of Chetana. Today, various Chetana academies and Chetana College of Media and Performing Arts offer courses in Indian and Western Music, Indian Classical dances, Film and Broadcast Media and provide university-affiliated degree programmes in Visual communication, Mass communication and Journalism, Multimedia, Graphic Design and Animation, and Film and Television production.
