Ritwik Kumar Ghatak’s home in Rajshahi, was demolished by the locals post-July on 5 and August, 2024 by the locals in what seemed like a communal rift. The Rajshahi cultural society had petitioned as far back as 2017 to preserve it as a heritage site, but their appeals went unheard. The situation is tragic but it opens the door to important conversations about the necessity of preservation of culture and art.

The documentary follows Sagar’s journey to Old Dhaka in search of the ancestral home where Ritwik and his twin sister were born and spent their childhood.

This 16th edition of IFFM will be held from August 14 to 24, with a centenary tribute to the legendary Ritwik Ghatak headlining its programming. Ghatak’s evocative portrayals of partition, displacement and identity redefined the language of Indian filmmaking.

“Fear” paints a chilling picture of existential dread: as news breaks of an imminent hydrogen bomb attack, a diverse group of people are rushed into an experimental shelter.

The scheduled screenings of Ritwik Ghatak’s films, “Amar Lenin” and “Komal Gandhar”, at a government school in Kolkata were cancelled following objections from political leaders.

A new initiative, Mind the Gap Film Movement, has been launched to promote political awareness among working-class communities through cinema. With the theme “Political Films, Politics in Film,” the project aims to host a travelling film festival, bringing impactful and thought-provoking movies directly to the public.

The ancestral home of legendary Bengali filmmaker Ritwik Kumar Ghatak in Rajshahi has been reduced to rubble, sparking outrage among local residents.

Renowned Bengali television and film actor, Parambrata Chattopadhyay, recently took to Instagram to share a touching encounter with his uncle, Ritaban Ghatak, the son of the esteemed filmmaker Ritwik Ghatak. In a heartfelt post, Chattopadhyay expressed his customary annual visits during significant festivals such as Durga Puja, Christmas, and New Year, sharing snapshots with his uncle.

In terms of gauging the evolution of filmmaking since its inception, the year 1927 added a new dimension to the language of films. Attempts to express humane sentiments became a little easier and gradually films became a powerful tool for expressing said emotions. This optimal tool was used majestically in Bengali films by the proverbial Ritwik Ghatak.

Remembering the pioneer of Indian parallel cinema on his birth centenary

A three-day long film festival began in Rajshahi on November 4, commemorating the 93rd birth anniversary of renowned auteur Ritwik Ghatak. This is the seventh instalment of the festival organised by Ritwik Ghatak Film Society, an association of film lovers dedicated to highlighting Ritwik Ghatak’s work.

Ritwik Ghatak is better known as an auteur whose works signify the gloom and disorder associated with the partition of Bengal. His struggle was immense in his short-lived life of 50 years, and hardly received any recognition for his dedication towards the art of cinema. In his words, “I believe in committed cinema. I mean commitment in the broadest sense of the term.”