60 years of theatrical release of ‘Pather Panchali’

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee tweeted:

On this day 60 years ago ‘Pather Panchali’ was released. The first film by Satyajit Ray. Bengali cinema today has great examples to follow

— Mamata Banerjee (@MamataOfficial) August 26, 2015

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On this day in August 1955, a few months after its world premiere in May 1955 at New York’s Museum of Modern Art, the film had its domestic release.

To mark the occasion, the Society for the Preservation of Satyajit Ray Archives will hold a seminar on Sunday, in which actors Sharmila Tagore, Aparna Sen, Nandita Das, directors Dibakar Banerjee, Sujoy Ghosh, Shoojit Sircar, would participate.

A rare documentary on the life of the legendary director, who was also awarded an Oscars Lifetime achievement award, would also be screened.

Based on Bibhutibhushan Bandyopadhyay’s 1929 Bengali novel of the same name and produced by West Bengal government, the film is the first part of the famed Apu trilogy.