San Francisco International Film Festival 59th San Francisco International Film Festival took place from April 21 to May 5, 2016 at venues throughout the Bay Area. Founded in 1957 by film exhibitor Irving "Bud" Levin, the SFIFF began as a philanthropic effort to secure San Francisco's place in the international arts scene as well as expose locals to cinema as an art form. The Festival played a major role in introducing foreign films to American audiences. Akira Kurosawa's "Throne of Blood" and Satyajit Ray's "Pather Panchali" were among the films that screened at the first festival. One obstacle in the early years was the lack
Aparajito Ghosal who played the role of adolescent "Apu", at the age of 14, did only one more film, documentary "Rabindranath Tagore" (1961), also made by Ray, where he played young Rabindranath Tagore. Smaran died in 2008 in Kolkata, at the age of 64. "Aparajito" was preceded by "Pather Panchali" (1955) and followed by "Apur Sansar" ("The World of Apu") in 1959. Together, the three films constitute the Apu trilogy. "Pather Panchali" portrays the childhood of Apu in their ancestral house. "Apur Sansar" depicts Apu's adult life, his reaction to his wife's premature death, and his final bonding with his son