Film festival played a major role in introducing foreign films to American audiences. Films in the first year included Akira Kurosawa's "Throne of Blood" and Satyajit Ray's "Pather Panchali". Today, thousands of film festivals take place around the world—from high-profile festivals such as Sundance Film Festival and Slamdance Film Festival (Park City, Utah), to horror festivals such as Terror Film Festival (Philadelphia), and the Park City Film Music Festival, the first U.S. film festival dedicated to honoring music in film. Film Funding competitions such as Writers and Filmmakers were introduced when the cost of production could be lowered significantly and internet technology
Pather Panchali to make a film based on the novel; the agreement was in principle only, and no financial arrangement was made. The Bengali word "path" literally means path, and "pather" means "of the path". The word "panchali" refers to a type of narrative folk song that used to be performed in Bengal and was the forerunner of another type of folk performance, the "jatra". English translations of the Bengali title include "Song of the Little Road", "The Lament of the Path", "Song of the Road", and "Song of the Open Road". "Pather Panchali" did not have a script; it was made