Days and Nights in the Forest

Satyajit Ray is among the most important and outstanding Indian filmmakers, who amplified awareness of Indian cinema among Western audiences. Born in Calcutta in 1921 to an artistic Bengali family, he first worked in advertising and as a book illustrator. In 1947, Ray revived the Calcutta Film Society. Three years later, while traveling around Europe, he had the opportunity to see the classics of world cinema, which greatly influenced his cinematic sensitivity. Ray's first film, the 1955 A Song of the Little Road, became the sensation of that year's Cannes Film Festival. The debut was part of the so-called Apu trilogy, which remains one of the director's greatest movie achievements. Among the most important motifs of Ray's over 30 feature and documentary films is thorough social observation, reflection on India's cultural shifts, the ethical dimension of interpersonal relationships and life’s choices, as well as permanent and impermanent values. The director is a subtle stylist focused on visual detail and a tireless researcher of nature and human psychology. Ray died in Calcutta in 1992.