TALES OF INDIA

This is the first time the festival carries off audiences to faraway India. The over-100-year-old silent movie Behula is a genuine curiosity; it is a reworking of a popular Bengali legend and features Patience Cooper, one of Indian cinema’s first stars. For many years the film was thought to have been lost. It is now screened after restoration by the Jérôme Seydoux-Pathé Foundation. From among the gems preserved by DFF – Deutsches Filminstitut & Filmmuseum we have The Tiger of Eschnapur and The Indian Tomb, a two-part adventure epic. This Indian themed, astoundingly spectacular creation was a massive hit on its release and Marathon viewers can participate at its restoration premiere. Satyajit Ray, legendary director of Indian filmmaking, passed away 30 years ago. In his works, he presented apparently irreconcilable forces in harmony, he linked poetry and social criticism, and showed nostalgia for the past while also broadcasting the need for progress. The festival pays tribute to his memory with Nayak The Hero, which is a portrait of a sensitive artist and at the same time a reflection on film art.