Promoted by Filmmaker Subhash Ghai, Mukta Arts Limited and Filmcity Mumbai, Whistling Woods International is Asia’s largest film, television and media arts institute, providing education in technical and creative aspects of filmmaking and television.
Ranked amongst the World's Top 10 film schools by Hollywood Reporter.
The Mumbai, India, campus of 20 acres (81,000 m2) is located inside Mumbai’s film and television production centre Dadasaheb Phalke Chitranagari (better known as ‘Filmcity’), and offers courses that vary in duration from 6-months to 2&½ years, both full-time and part time.
Courses include Acting, Animation, Cinematography, Directing, Editing, Producing, Screenwriting and Sound for the Film & TV Industries. The institute offers, in association with Manipal University, India’s first MBA in Media & Entertainment.
The full-time faculty of Whistling Woods International is a body of academics and industry professionals like Subhash Ghai, Rajen Kothari, Anjum Rajabali, Rakesh Ranjan, Rob Reece, Somnath Sen, Gokul Kesavan, with regular guest lectures by leading Indian and international filmmakers, actors and technicians like Rakeysh Mehra, Vishal Bharadwaj, Ashutosh Gowarikar, Farhan Akhtar, Ashok Amritraj, Shyam Benegal, Farah Khan, Naseeruddin Shah, Pankaj Kapur, Ratna Pathak Shah, Danny Boyle, Rajkumar Hirani and Nagesh Kukunoor.
Students also study co-curricular subjects like Film Appreciation, International Art Literature Culture, Production Design and Music.
Almost 15% of the student body comprises international students from countries like USA, Canada, UK, Germany, Italy, France, and Mauritius.
Students are working with media organisations like Aamir Khan Productions, Annapurna Studios Ltd, Anil Kapoor Productions, BIG Animation, Balaji Telefilms, Channel 31 Australia, Dharma Productions, Excel Entertainment, FoxStar Studios India, DreamWorks India, Mukta Arts Limited, Prana Studios, Prime Focus, Red Chillies Entertainment, Rhythm and Hues Studios, Reliance Mediaworks, Spice Entertainment, Star TV, Technilolour, UTV, and Walkwater Films.
The institute has affiliations with global film schools. These include international student co-productions and credits transfer. Some of the affiliations are with Deakin and Griffith Universities in Australia, Bradford College UK, Syracuse University USA & NYU Tisch Asia.
The Mumbai campus has been operational since July 2006 and the student body has grown from 90 to 350. Expansion has included an e-learning platform with online courses, broadcasting and VFX verticals, additional courses in a ‘Co-curricular Activities Program’ and the Short Courses Unit.