Rahul Bose-Starrer Dev Benegal's Cult Classic English, August Restored In 4K For Venice Film Festival Premiere

Dev Benegal's 1994 cult classic English, August, starring Rahul Bose, has been restored in 4K and will make its world premiere in the Venice Classics section at the 83rd Venice International Film Festival. The festival runs from August 26 to September 5, 2026.

The Film Heritage Foundation (FHF) announced the news on social media. The organisation previously showcased Girish Kasaravalli's Ghatashraddha in 2024 and Bimal Roy's Do Bigha Zamin in 2025.

Rahul Bose on restoration

The restored film will be presented at Venice by Dev Benegal, Rahul Bose, Anuradha Parikh, sound recordist Vikram Joglekar and FHF director Shivendra Singh Dungarpur. Lead actor Bose shared his reaction to the announcement on Instagram.

"So I have some news for you for all those people over the last 30 years who have been asking me for a copy of English, August...the Film Heritage Foundation, led by Shivendra Dungarpur and his team of wizards, have restored English, August to its pristine glory." Bose said.

"And it's going to release, re-premiere, so to speak, at the Venice Film Festival in the first week of September in the classic section. And after that, who knows? It's up to Dev Benegal, the director, and the producers as to whether they want to release it again in the cinema halls...or on OTT..." Bose added.

English, August plot

Based on Upamanyu Chatterjee's 1988 novel, the plot follows Agastya Sen, a city-bred civil servant posted to a remote town. The story shows his boredom, confusion, search for meaning and life in post-colonial India.

The critically acclaimed feature won the Silver Montgolfiere and the Gilberto Martinez Solares Award for Best First Film at the 1994 Festival des 3 Continents. It also won Best Feature Film in English at the 1995 National Film Awards in India.

English, August also received a Special Jury Prize at the 1994 Torino International Festival of Young Cinema.