Even as the next six batches are underway, Zee Institute of Media Arts (ZIMA) along with Autodesk Media and Entertainment certified its first batch of students trained on the Autodesk Discreet SMOKE system. A first of its kind in the industry, the SMOKE course was launched in October 2005 at ZIMA and has received tremendous feedback from the industry. The first batch consisted of five students who received their certificates from Autodesk Media and Entertainment, Montreal. SMOKE is Autodesk Media and Entertainment's high-end online editing and finishing system and the ZIMA course is aimed at professionals currently employed with the TV and film industries and are looking to enhance their career prospects.

"It is extremely gratifying for Autodesk Media and Entertainment to witness the first batch of professionally trained SMOKE artists graduating from ZIMA. The feedback from the students has been extremely positive and the course has helped them to enhance their career prospects within the industry. I wish the students the best of luck in their future endeavours and hope that the knowledge that they have gained here, will help them to convert their creative ideas into reality." - Mr. Pankaj Kedia Regional Manager, South East Asia & India Autodesk Media and Entertainment.

"The industry feedback to the course has been very encouraging. We started with a single batch of five students. The second round of enrollments includes six batches and a total of about 25 students. I believe that this is a clear indicator of the comprehensiveness of the course as well as the demand for skilled talent in the industry. The Autodesk Discreet Smoke is the industry standard in editing and therefore it greatly compliments our existing courses in editing and film technologies." - Mr. S Mukundan, Sr. Vice President (Products), Zee Interactive Learning Systems.