Award-Winning Bollywood Films: Venice Film Festival
Bollywood films have walked away with several major prizes at prestigious film festivals worldwide over the years. Beginning all the way back in 1937, films from India have captured the attention of international juries, and the list below highlights some of the winners at the Venice Film Festival.
A portrait of the 17th century saint poet from Maharashtra who played a part in challenging Brahmanical caste domination. Won a special award as the first Indian film to gain international recognition, and which ranked as one of the three best film at the International Exhibition of Cinematographic Art.More »
The second chapter of Ray's much-praised and adored Apu trilogy, which began with Pather Panchali in 1955. Apu, now 10 years old, begins school much to the objection of his mother, who hoped that he would follow a more spiritual path. Moving away from home to attend university and impressed by life in the big city, Apu fails to maintain his relationship with his mother, with terrible consequences. With its score by Ravi Shankar, the film won the top prize at the festival, the Golden Lion. Click the link above to see the film in its entirety. More »
In this 1957 film, the first created under the auspices of the Children's Film Society, India (CSFI) two cousins, Ashok and Preeti decide to take a trip to visit a lighthouse. They are driven there by Chandan, a bit of a daredevil who attempts to impress the pair with his reckless ways. A magical film for children, it won the first prize in the Venice International Children's Film Festival.More »
AKA, The Adversary. In Satyajit Ray's social-realist drama, Dhritiman Chatterjee stars as Siddhartha Chaudhuri, a university student in Calcutta who is forced to drop out of school to care for his family after his father dies. Set during a period of high unemployment, it shows how the youth of the day directed their anger on the political system, which they saw as corrupt. The first chapter in Ray's Calcutta Trilogy, the film was the recipient of the festival's Exhibition Prize. Click the link above to see the film in its entirety. More »
Another bleak Calcutta-based drama, Mrinal Sen's powerful film tells of an up-and-coming journalist who finds meaning and purpose to his job when writing about the lifestyles of everyday people in his city. A hard-hitting film devoid of any song and dance numbers, its star Anjan Dutt won the Alitalia Prize for his performance, and the film was awarded a special citation as an outstanding film for a young audience.More »
1. "Sant Tukaram" (Dir: Vishnupant Govind Damle & Sheikh Fattelal, 1937)
A portrait of the 17th century saint poet from Maharashtra who played a part in challenging Brahmanical caste domination. Won a special award as the first Indian film to gain international recognition, and which ranked as one of the three best film at the International Exhibition of Cinematographic Art.More »
2. "Aparajito" (Dir: Satyajit Ray, 1957)
The second chapter of Ray's much-praised and adored Apu trilogy, which began with Pather Panchali in 1955. Apu, now 10 years old, begins school much to the objection of his mother, who hoped that he would follow a more spiritual path. Moving away from home to attend university and impressed by life in the big city, Apu fails to maintain his relationship with his mother, with terrible consequences. With its score by Ravi Shankar, the film won the top prize at the festival, the Golden Lion. Click the link above to see the film in its entirety. More »
3. "Jaldeep" (Dir: Kidar Sharma, 1957)
In this 1957 film, the first created under the auspices of the Children's Film Society, India (CSFI) two cousins, Ashok and Preeti decide to take a trip to visit a lighthouse. They are driven there by Chandan, a bit of a daredevil who attempts to impress the pair with his reckless ways. A magical film for children, it won the first prize in the Venice International Children's Film Festival.More »
4. "Pratidwandi" (Dir: Satyajit Ray, 1971)
AKA, The Adversary. In Satyajit Ray's social-realist drama, Dhritiman Chatterjee stars as Siddhartha Chaudhuri, a university student in Calcutta who is forced to drop out of school to care for his family after his father dies. Set during a period of high unemployment, it shows how the youth of the day directed their anger on the political system, which they saw as corrupt. The first chapter in Ray's Calcutta Trilogy, the film was the recipient of the festival's Exhibition Prize. Click the link above to see the film in its entirety. More »
5. "Chalchitra" (Dir: Mrinal Sen, 1981)
Another bleak Calcutta-based drama, Mrinal Sen's powerful film tells of an up-and-coming journalist who finds meaning and purpose to his job when writing about the lifestyles of everyday people in his city. A hard-hitting film devoid of any song and dance numbers, its star Anjan Dutt won the Alitalia Prize for his performance, and the film was awarded a special citation as an outstanding film for a young audience.More »