Satyajit Ray’s ‘Cinema Fest’ to pay tribute to the legendary filmmaker and his movies
On the occasion of commemoration of Satyajit Ray’s Birth Centenary, Ministry of Information & Broadcasting has initiated various activities to pay tribute to the legendary filmmaker, National Museum of Indian Cinema, Mumbai, shall have a three-day film festival at various venues across India to celebrate his films.
The screening of films made by and made on Satyajit Ray, shall be held at New Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Bengaluru and Pune from May 2 to 4. Entry is free at all the venues where the screenings will happen.
National Museum of Indian Cinema, Mumbai, in association with National Film Development Corporation, Films Division, National Film Archives of India, and Doordarshan – and supported by Government of West Bengal and Aurora Film Corporation and Friends Communication – is organising the film festival.
The Satyajit Ray film festival begins with the red carpet and inauguration of the Satyajit Ray’s semi-permanent Gallery by Shyam Benegal on May 2, followed by the screening of the opening film at the festival ‘Aparajito’, which is it’s ‘India Premiere’, the film is produced by Firdausul Hassan and Probal Haldar and directed by Anik Datta, inspired by the making of Satyajit Ray’s Pather Panchali.
Furthermore, a panel discussion is scheduled to be held on May 4, at 4 pm post the screening of ‘Pather Panchali’ (Satyajit Ray’s directorial debut feature), the closing film of the festival. The panel discussion shall be live on NFDC’s official Facebook page for all audiences, cinephiles and aficionados of Ray’s work. The panellists will be Shyam Benegal, Barun Chanda (actor from Ray’s ‘Seemabadh’) and Shantanu Moitra, and it will be moderated by Shankhayan Ghosh.
Ravinder Bhakar, managing director NFDC India, said, “On the occasion of Azaadi ka Amrit Mahotsav, it is a great honour for us to celebrate the birth centenary of Satyajit Ray and roll out a special gallery at National Museum of Indian Cinema as a tribute to the legendary filmmaker. People have seen Ray’s films in some form or the other. Yet, this time we invite Ray lovers for our handpicked package on the big screens in selected theatres for free. The newly restored few by NFAI are a delight to watch.”
The other films include NFDC’s ‘Agantuk’, ‘Ghare Baire’, ‘Ganashatru’, directed by Satyajit Ray and music of Satyajit Ray directed by Utpalendu Chakraborty, ‘Nemai Ghosh – A Ray of Light’ directed by Anirban Mitra and Tirtho Dasgupta, Films Divisions documentaries and shorts ‘Inner Eye’, ‘Rabindranath Tagore’ are directed by Satyajit Ray, ‘Satyajit Ray’, directed by Shyam Benegal, ‘Creative Artists of India – Satyajit Ray’, directed by BD Garga, NFAI’s newly restored films ‘Sonar Kella’, ‘Seemabadha’, ‘Hirak Rajar Deshe’ – all directed by Satyajit Ray, Government of West Bengal’s ‘Pather Panchali’ print, from the Academy Film Archive’s landmark restoration of the film from negatives nearly lost in a fire, is screening.
