Satyajit Ray Focus: Rabindranath Tagore + Sikkim + Intro

This screening is introduced by Professor Chandak Sengoopta (Department of History, Birkbeck College, University of London)

Rabindranath Tagore

Through documentary and archival footage, Satyajit Ray presents an in-depth portrait of the life of his compatriot Rabindranath Tagore. A great writer, poet, composer and painter, Tagore was instrumental in bringing the Bengali language into cultural expression through various artforms, and was the first non-European to win the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1913. Tagore was also an active proponent of Indian independence from British rule. A fascinating exploration into the life of one of India’s great cultural icons.  

Rabindranath Tagore, dir. Satyajit Ray, India 1961, 35mm, 54 mins, English

Print courtesy of the Packard Humanities Institute Collection at the Academy Film Archive

Sikkim

Banned for some 30 years, this documentary presents a window on to life in the hidden mountain kingdom of Sikkim, nestled between Nepal, Bhutan and Tibet, which formally became part of India in 1975. Originally commissioned by the former Chogyal (King) of Sikkim, this documentary presents a fascinating look into this rarely seen Himalayan land.   

Sikkim, dir. Satyajit Ray, India 1971, 55 mins, English

Professor Chandak Sengoopta (Department of History, Birkbeck College, University of London) is the author of The Rays Before Satyajit: Creativity and Modernity in Colonial India (2016) and a forthcoming comprehensive biography of Satyajit Ray.

Preserved by the Academy Film Archive

Programme supported by Film Hub London, managed by Film London. Proud to be a partner of the BFI Film Audience networks. Funded by the National Lottery