Filmmaker Anuparna Roy, who made her debut with Songs of Forgotten Trees, bagged the best director award at the Venice International Film Festival.
Presented by filmmaker Anurag Kashyap, the film premiered in the festival’s Orizzonti Competition section, an international competition for films that highlight new trends, with a focus on debut works, young talents, indie features and lesser-known cinema, on September 1.
During her acceptance speech, the filmmaker spoke on the ongoing Israel-Palestine conflict. Supporting Palestine, Roy said it was “a responsibility to stand by Palestine”.
“Every child deserves peace, freedom, liberation and Palestinians are no exception… it’s a responsibility at the moment to stand by Palestine. I might upset my country but it doesn’t matter to me anymore,” she said according to the entertainment news
outlet Variety.
Roy said her film was a tribute to all women who are “silenced, overlooked,
or underestimated”.
“This film is a tribute to every woman who’s ever been silenced, overlooked, or underestimated. May this win inspire more voices, more stories, and more power for women in cinema and beyond,” she said in a statement.
The filmmaker, who hails from Purulia district, is the first Indian to win the best director award in the Orizzonti section.
Songs of Forgotten Trees follows the story of Thooya, a migrant and aspiring actress, who survives the city by leveraging beauty and wit, occasionally trading intimacy for opportunity.
When she sublets her sugar daddy’s upscale apartment to Swetha, a fellow migrant working a corporate job, the two women — seemingly from different worlds — begin to share more than just a space. Amid the relentless pulse of Mumbai, they discover a silent empathy.
“But as personal histories, desires, and wounds resurface, their delicate connection is tested. What follows is not a rupture, but a strange and tender unfolding — of selfhood, of survival, of unexpected kinship,” according to the official synopsis. The film stars Naaz Shaikh and Sumi Baghel.
Produced by Bibhanshu Rai, Romil Modi and Ranjan Singh, the cast also includes Bhushan Shimpi, Ravi Maan, Pritam Pilania and Lovely Singh.
It features cinematography by Debjit Samanta, editing by Ashish Patel and music by Nishant Ramteke.
Chief minister Mamata Banerjee and governor C.V. Ananda Bose on Monday congratulated Roy for winning the award.
“I am delighted by the news of our Purulia girl Anuparna Roy receiving an extraordinary international award,” Mamata wrote on her X handle.
The chief minister emphasised that Roy’s achievement at such a prestigious platform was a testament to her talent, creativity, and resilience.
Mamata recognised Roy’s roots in the Junglemahal region, highlighting that her parents, who reside in Kulati, are from the village of Rangaamati.
The governor extended his heartfelt congratulations to Roy.
“Ms Anuparna Roy has brought glory to her native place Purulia and West Bengal,” Bose said in a statement released from Raj Bhavan.
“May the young director reach glorious heights in filmmaking in the years ahead,” he added.
The Venice International Film Festival concluded on Saturday.