Cinémathèque of Thessaloniki : Passage to India: Through the eyes of Satyajit Ray

“Not to have seen the cinema of Ray means existing in the world without seeing the sun or the moon”

Akira Kurosawa

Satyajit Ray (1921-1992), Indian cinema’s most iconic feature, whose multifaceted work had a profound influence on countless generations of filmmakers, takes center stage at Thessaloniki Cinémathèque’s tribute “Passage to India: Through the eyes of Satyajit Ray”. The tribute, hosted in collaboration with the Greek Film Archive Foundation, will take place at the beloved cinephile hub of Stavros Tornes, from Thursday February 16th to Monday February 20th 2023. 

Ray’s films, riddled with a humanist touch and greatly influenced by finding the point of balance between tradition and modernism, portraying the decay of the feudal system and the rise of an ambitious bourgeoisie, harmoniously and stylishly interweave Indian mythology and folklore with social commentary and critique against the forces of post-colonialism and the rigid structure of Indian society. Ray’s work, grandiose and genuine, without ever losing sight of the human pathos and the existential distress, intertwines the Western humanist tradition and the Oriental inwardness.