“Pather Panchali” (dir. Satyajit Ray, 1955)
![PATHER PANCHALI, Uma Das Gupta, 1955.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/www.indiewire.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/MCDPAPA_EC033.jpg?w=300)
In 2019, Ava DuVernay curated a selection of her favorite classic films for Turner Classic Movies’ “The Essentials” series. One of the films she selected was “Pather Panchali,” the debut film of master filmmaker Satyajit Ray. The Bengali-language film is the first chapter in Ray’s acclaimed “Apu Trilogy,” and was famously shot on a shoestring budget with amateur actors and a crew with zero experience. Despite this, the film — which depicts the day-to-day difficulties of a poor Bengal family — is frequently regarded as a masterpiece.