The story of a young boy, Apu, and life in his small Indian village. His parents are quite poor – his father Harihar, a writer and poet, gave away the family’s fruit orchard to settle his brother’s debts. His sister Durga and an old aunt also still lives with them. His mother Sarbojaya bears the brunt of the family’s situation. She scrapes by and sells her personal possessions to put food on the table and has to bear the taunts of her neighbors as Durga is always stealing fruit from their orchard. Things get worse when Harihar disappears for five months and Durga falls ill. Even after Harihar returns, the family is left with few alternatives.

 

National awards

President’s Medals

• Winner – 1955 – President’s Gold & Silver Medals (New Delhi) – Pather Panchali (Song of the Little Road)

National Film Awards

• Winner – 1956 – Best Film – Pather Panchali (Song of the Little Road)
• Winner – 1956 – Best Feature Film in Bengali – Pather Panchali (Song of the Little Road)

International Film Festivals

Cannes Film Festival

• Winner – 1956 – Best Human Document – Pather Panchali (Song of the Little Road)
• Winner – 1956 – OCIC Award (Special Mention) – Pather Panchali (Song of the Little Road)
• Nominated – 1956 – Golden Palm for Best Film – Pather Panchali (Song of the Little Road)

Berlin International Film Festival

• Winner – 1957 – Selznick Golden Laurel for Best Film – Pather Panchali (Song of the Little Road)

British Film Institute Awards, London Film Festival

• Winner – 1980 – Wington Award – Apu Trilogy (for each film)

Edinburgh International Film Festival

• Winner – 1956 – Diploma of Merit – Pather Panchali (Song of the Little Road)

San Francisco International Film Festival

• Winner – 1957 – Golden Gate for Best Picture – Pather Panchali (Song of the Little Road)
• Winner – 1957 – Golden Gate for Best Director – Pather Panchali (Song of the Little Road) – Satyajit Ray

Vancouver International Film Festival

• Winner – 1958 – Best Film – Pather Panchali (Song of the Little Road)

New York Film Festival

• Winner – 1959 – Best Foreign Film – Pather Panchali (Song of the Little Road)

Stratford Film Festival

• Winner – 1958 – Critics’ Award for Best Film – Pather Panchali (Song of the Little Road)

Other International Awards

National Board of Review Awards (United States)

• Winner – 1958 – Best Foreign Film – Pather Panchali (Song of the Little Road)

Kinema Junpo Awards (Tokyo)

• Winner – 1967 – Best Foreign Film – Pather Panchali (Song of the Little Road)

Bodil Awards (Denmark)

• Winner – 1969 – Best Non-European Film – Pather Panchali (Song of the Little Road)

British Academy Film Awards (United Kingdom)

• Nominated – 1958 – BAFTA Award for Best Film – Pather Panchali (Song of the Little Road)

Other awards

• Winner – 1956 Golden Carbao (Manila) – Pather Panchali (Song of the Little Road)
• Winner – 1956 Vatican Award (Rome) – Pather Panchali (Song of the Little Road)