Late National Award winning filmmaker Ritwik Ghatak will be celebrated at the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne (IFFM) 2025 with a retrospect on the Padma Shri honorary's birth centenary.
A special tribute will be paid to the legendary filmmaker Ritwik Ghatak, commemorating the 100th birth anniversary of the cinematic pioneer. Ghatak's contributions as a director, screenwriter, actor, and playwright have left an indelible mark on world cinema.
Along with prominent contemporary Bengali filmmakers like Satyajit Ray, Tapan Sinha and Mrinal Sen, Ghatak's cinema is primarily remembered for its meticulous depiction of social reality, partition and feminism.
His films like Meghe Dhaka Tara, Subarnarekha, and Komal Gandhar are now celebrated as masterpieces.
Speaking about the tribute, IFFM Festival Director Mitu Bhowmik Lange said, “Ritwik Ghatak was a visionary far ahead of his time. His cinema dealt with trauma, displacement, and identity with such poetic depth and urgency that it resonates even more today.”
“At IFFM, we believe it is our responsibility to bring global attention to icons like Ritwik Ghatak, whose work shaped the conscience of Indian filmmaking. This centenary celebration is not just a tribute, it's a reminder of the kind of stories we must continue to tell,” Lange said.
Honoured with the Padma Shri and multiple National Awards, Ghatak is widely considered one of the greatest filmmakers of all time.
Ghatak won the National Film Award's Rajat Kamal Award for Best Story in 1974 for his Jukti Takko Aar Gappo and Best Director's Award from Bangladesh Cine Journalist's Association for Titash Ekti Nadir Naam. The Government of India honoured him with the Padma Shri for Arts in 1970.
Along with Ghatak, Guru Dutt's 100 years will be celebrated at the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne 2025 with special tribute screenings of his 1957 movie “Pyaasa” and “Kaagaz Ke Phool”, which was released in 1959.
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