Satyajit Ray's 'Apu Trilogy' in top five greatest Asian films

Busan: Celebrated filmmaker Satyajit Ray's 'The Apu Trilogy' is among the top five greatest Asian films of all-time, it was announced at the Busan International Film Festival here.

The Busan International Film Festival is marking its 20th anniversary with a list of the 100 best Asian films of all time, based on a poll of 73 noted filmmakers and critics.

The Apu Trilogy depicts the life of Apu in Pather Panchali (1955), Aparajito; (1956), and Apur Sansar (1959). A masterpiece that realistically and placidly portrays Indian society. Satyajit Ray is called a master of Asian film as well as the father of Indian cinema, a statement said.

The 'Asian Cinema 100' is a collaboration project with the Busan International Film Festival and the Busan Cinema Center to shed light on the values of Asian films.

The list will be updated every 5 years to act as a guide for the aesthetic value and history of Asian cinema and to discover hidden masterpieces and talented directors of Asia.

For the project, 73 prominent film professionals at home and abroad recommended their top 10 films, resulting in 113 selections and 106 directors (including joint rankings) for the final 100 list.

Tokyo Story, a legendary masterpiece by Ozu Yasujiro from Japan topped the list. Kurosawa Akira's Rashomon was on second position. "In the Mood for Love" by Hong Kong filmmaker Wong Kar-Wai' came third. Ray was on fourth position with 'The Apu Trilogy'. "A City of Sadness" by Taiwanese filmaker Hou Hsiao-Hsien came fifth.

Other Indian filmaker whose works made it to the list were Ritwik Ghatak, Raj Kapoor, Adoor Gopalakrishnan, Guru Dutt, Mehboob Khan, Govindan Aravindan and Mira Nair.