FRENSHAM Heights School is to host the first British screening of a remastered film that won 11 international awards after its release 60 years ago.

The film, Pather Panchali, was applauded at the Cannes Film Festival in 1956 but by the 1990s the film prints had deteriorated to such poor physical quality that experts feared it might never be watched again.

Sent to a laboratory for restoration in London, it seemed that all was lost when a fire destroyed much of the remaining material. A painstaking restoration process followed – and now the people of Surrey and Hampshire will be the first to see the result in Britain.

Pather Panchali was the first film of Bengali director Satyajit Ray, who went on to win 32 Indian Film Awards and an Oscar, and to be rated as one of the world’s top ten directors.

“We’re very proud to be showing this fully restored edition of Satyajit Ray’s masterwork, Pather Panchali,” said Pete Day, a member of Experience Film, an entirely voluntary group formed in response to the news that The Palace Cinema in Alton was up for sale, and the possibility of Alton losing its only cinema.

Its goal is to create unique moments through film in the Surrey and Hampshire area and work with local filmmakers to bring their work to a wider audience, with the intention of providing warm experiences of stimulating cinema.

Pather Panchali will be shown at 7.30pm tomorrow (Saturday, November 28) at the Aldridge Theatre, Frensham Heights Road, Rowledge.

Admission starts at £6 and money raised will be donated to the Film is Fragile appeal, an initiative of the British Film Institute to restore film that is at risk of being lost.

“The story of how the film returned to the big screen this year is as remarkable as the film itself,” continued Pete.

“The original prints of the film were in such poor condition that it was hard not to be pulled out of the wonderful story at times.

“This unbelievable restoration – rescuing the original negatives when they were thought lost by fire – is a gift to film lovers the world over. We’re delighted to be the first to bring it to the UK.”

Seen through the eyes of a family’s youngest son, Apu, Pather Panchali is a coming-of-age tale and a rare glimpse into the life of a poor Bengali family.

Apu’s father works as a Brahmin priest and poet but doesn’t earn enough for the family to live on. Apu has to deal with taunts over his sister’s petty thefts and the film soon takes unpredictable turns.