Rasa Festival | Classic Films from India: Satyajit Ray Retrospective

When

Sunday September 30, 2018: 12:30pm to 5:30pm  Add to Calendar /   Add to Google Calendar

Where

Downtown Library: Multi-Purpose Room

Description

This retrospective on Ray purports to offer a fresh look at the maestro’s range and depth.  While it features his famous and indispensable “Apu Trilogy,” that earned him the moniker or a “humanist” filmmaker, it intends to show a glimpse of his creativity that went far beyond its limitations that have unfortunately remained largely unknown outside of Bengal.  It will also feature some of his urban and period films as well as rarely seen films about him, such as a very prescient one made for a New York TV channel in 1968 and one made in 1984 for the now defunct London Central Television whose only original copy resides in Pakistan (which is a heartening instance of how the two nuclear rivals nevertheless value each other’s artists), that provide invaluable insights into his craft.

As there is a resurgence of interest in Ray among young people today, galvanized by the rise of digital media that bring his delicacies to new audiences in ways that the art house cinema of the yore could never have managed, it is time for a new reassessment of his myriad oeuvre.

We will be presenting the following:

1. “Rabindranath” 1961 – A documentary by Satyajit Ray on the world renowned poet/musician/artist Rabindrananth Tagore.

2. “The Creative Persons: Satyajit Ray” 1967 – A documentary by James Beveridge on Satyajit Ray.

3. “Charulata” 1964 – A film by Satyajit Ray, based upon a novella written by Rabindranath Tagore.

Aniruddho Sanyal will be introducing each of these films with a brief summary of their background and context to an international audience.