Ghent, Skopje, Rio...: Ray classics come back on silver screens around the world

Kolkata: The 73rd Berlin International Film Festival, or Berlinale, beginning February 16 will screen Satyajit Ray's ‘Aparajito' in its retrospective segment, carrying forward the enduring legacy of A-list film festivals across the world screening Ray classics.
But what is more interesting is the new trend of the maestro's films being invited to standalone cinemas, museums and cinematheques in countries that do not have a long history of screening Bengali cinema. This includes Skopje in North Macedonia, Kortrijk and Ghent in Belgium, Ethiopia, Georgia, Iceland and Argentina among others.
While ‘Charulata' was screened in Iceland and ‘Mahanagar' in Georgia last year, this year will see ‘Mahapurush' being screened in Ethiopia, ‘Joy Baba Felunath' in Slovenia, ‘Nayak' in Albania and ‘Kapurush' in Greece's Thessaloniki.
Ray's films have always been popular in countries like the US, UK, France and Japan. Now, cities such as Reykjavik in Iceland, Ljubljana in Slovenia, Jeddah in Saudi Arabia, Budapest in Hungary and San Jose in Costa Rica are showcasing his films.
According to Varsha Bansal, whose grandfather RD Bansal produced six Ray films including ‘Charulata', ‘Nayak', ‘Mahanagar' and ‘Joy Baba Felunath', screenings have been held for newer and younger audiences in over 45 countries, 10 of these in the last year itself. This has been possible, Bansal says, after they restored the films.
The efforts of rights-holders to reach out to film curators and to streamline the screening process are helping in a big way to increase the popularity of Ray's films, Bansal said. "Timely print deliveries and flexibility to accommodate all budgets as these venues do not have the deep pockets that festivals have, are also aiding the process. This interest is heartening and encouraging. My grandfather's birth centenary was in 2022. To see the reach of these films would have certainly made him very happy today," she added. Irrespective of the size of the theatre (some are just 40-seaters), the screenings are usually accompanied by lectures, introductions, live musical accompaniments or master classes. What makes the exercise special is that even countries without a long history of film exposure are now creating entire events around just one Ray screening. "I haven't heard of Ray films being screened in such destinations. It is great to hear that they are actually helping improve film literacy in these countries," said Riddhi Goswami, a member of Ray Society.
Panos Achtsioglou, programmer of Thessaloniki Cinematheque, said: "The works of Satyajit Ray continue to inspire, provoke, move and arouse spectators all over the world and his influence is considered priceless, not only for the art of cinema but for its enormous cultural impact."
‘Charulata' has been invited for screening at Instituto Moreira Salles in São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro in Brazil. Torino's Museo Nazionale del Cinema in Italy will showcase ‘Charulata', ‘Mahanagar', ‘Kapurush', ‘Mahapurush', ‘Nayak', ‘Joy Baba Felunath' in April or May. Greek Cinematheque and Slovenian Cinematheque are also planning the same from this February to April. So is Bulgaria's Cinema Odeon. While Bio Paradis Cinema in Iceland's Reykjavik has already screened ‘Charulata' last September, they are repeating the exercise this April. This time around, they will be screening ‘Mahanagar'.

Stay updated with the latest news on Times of India. Don't miss daily games like Crossword, Sudoku, and Mini Crossword.