Directed by Satyajit Ray

“Not to have seen the cinema of Satyajit Ray means existing in the world without seeing the sun or the moon,” observed Akira Kurosawa with regards to the Bengali master. Influenced by the poetic humanism of Jean Renoir and the Italian neorealist movement, Ray self-financed his landmark debut PATHER PANCHALI—the first installment of his internationally celebrated APU TRILOGY, a cycle of richly humane masterworks that traces its title character’s journey from boyhood to maturity. Over the course of a long, remarkably varied career that encompassed forays into a wide array of genres—including period pieces, comedies, detective mysteries, and documentaries—Ray applied his compassionate, lyrical vision to explorations of female liberation (THE BIG CITY, CHARULATA), the clash between tradition and modernity (THE MUSIC ROOM), and the fanatical extremes of religion (DEVI, THE HOLY MAN). Overflowing with humanity, humor, and some of the most exquisite images in all of cinema, Ray’s films are nothing short of essential.