Satyajit Ray (1921-1992), Indiäs best-known filmmaker, is widely credited with ushering in a new era in narrative cinema. His award-winning films combine the cinematic with the literary and the emotional with the intellectual. A true auteur, Ray wrote his own stories and screenplays, designed his sets and costumes, composed music and even operated the camera. His first film, Pather Panchali (The Song of the Road) won him world acclaim. In 1978, the Berlin Film Festival ranked him as one of the three all-time best directors. In 1992 he received an honorary Academy Award for a lifetime achievement. Over his career Ray made 30 features and several shorts and documentaries.