Directed by Satyajit Ray

As debut films go, Bengali director Ray's Pather Panchali (1956) must be one of the very best. That it won 'Best Human Document' at Cannes in the year of its release says much about its qualities. It is the first film in the 'Apu trilogy', the other two parts being Aparajito and The World of Apu, which follow the growing experiences of a young m... show more >

As debut films go, Bengali director Ray's Pather Panchali (1956) must be one of the very best. That it won 'Best Human Document' at Cannes in the year of its release says much about its qualities. It is the first film in the 'Apu trilogy', the other two parts being Aparajito and The World of Apu, which follow the growing experiences of a young man as he moves to Calcutta. Ray's cinema was almost a complete personal expression - he was scriptwriter, director and camera operator, assisted in editing and art direction and often designed his own publicity material. Above all though, it is his quality of humanism that shines through his cinema. < show less