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
Pather Panchali number of critics attended. Although some were initially unenthusiastic at the prospect of yet another Indian melodrama, the film critic Arturo Lanocita found "the magic horse of poetry ... invading the screen". "Pather Panchali" was subsequently named Best Human Document at the festival. Lindsay Anderson commented after the Cannes screening that "Pather Panchali" had "the quality of ultimate unforgettable experience". In subsequent years, critics have given positive reviews. A 1958 review in "Time" described "Pather Panchali" as "perhaps the finest piece of filmed folklore since Robert Flaherty's "Nanook of the North"". In her 1982 book "5001 Nights at the Movies",