Anuparna Roy Scripts History at Venice Film Fest
A stoic determination to realise her dream enables Anuparna Roy of Purulia to clinch the coveted ‘Best Director’ award in the famed Orizzonti section at the 82nd Venice International Film Festival with her debut directorial venture ‘Songs of Forgotten Trees’.
She yearned for books beyond syllabus and grew up with simple rice procured from ration shops; yet, she rigidly fed her dream with a stoic determination despite an acute scarcity of the fodder.
Even as her parents were dreaming of getting her married to a deserving groom, she secretly kept herself grooming steadfastly to realise her dream.
And the dream finally came true on Sunday, September 7, 2025 when she actually scripted history by being the first Indian to crown herself with glory, winning the Best Director award in the famed Orizzonti section at the 82nd Venice International Film Festival; she pipped 18 of her nearest rivals!
Meet Anuparna Roy, a self-taught film buff from Purulia district of West Bengal who suddenly created ripples, sorry waves, with her debut directorial venture ‘Songs of Forgotten Trees’, in the international film arena in her favourite genre.
The last win by an Indian in this category was by Chaitanya Tamhane, who scooped the Best Film for Court (2014). Prior to him was of course our legendary Satyajit Ray who won the Golden Lion at Venice in 1957 for his ‘Aparajito’ in the features category.
Anuparna Roy’s Reaction after the Award
“This is surreal;..I want to thank the producers who said yes to a film which was not fitted into the boxes for stereo type films..this award is also yours, each one in my hometown, in my country, I want to dedicate this award to them” said Roy to the august audience at the festival.
While thanking the producers ‘who showed faith in the film’ she quipped “…I know I am shaking, I want to thank my incredible cast..my DoP, the 80-year-old gaffer Debjit Banerjee..”
Then suddenly, taking a broad swipe at Israel without naming the country, Anurupa stunned the audience with her observation: “I want to take a moment to talk about something very bigger…something very disastrous happening in Palestine. Every child deserves peace, freedom, liberation and Palestine is no exception.”
As the audience broke into spontaneous acclamation, she added little jarringly, “I don’t want any applause for this, it’s a responsibility to stand beside Palestine. I might upset my country, but it doesn’t matter to me anymore. ”
Songs of Forgotten Trees
“Orizzonti” is the plural of the Italian word Orizzonte, which means “horizon” or “outlook”. It can refer to a literal line where the sky meets the earth and sea, or figuratively to new possibilities, perspectives, or futures. For example, a project might “open up new horizons” by expanding opportunities.
“Orizzonti” is the competitive section of the Venice Film Festival.
Revolving around two female lesbian roommates in Mumbai, Thooya (Naaz Sheikh) and Swetha (Sumi Baghel) and their daily struggle and strain, the film spanning little over an hour, won’t fit in the typical boxes, the cast specially.
Thooya and Swetha, both are migratory workers; while one of them is a sexual worker as well as an actress, the other is a call centre employee; both share an inextricable attachment. Songs of Forgotten Trees is deeply embedded into Anuparna’s personal memories and detailed observations on and about life.
Roy is loath to limit herself in a conventional narrative setup; instead, she opts for moments and impressions, things left unspoken and un-negotiated, depicting myriad social obstacles. And she assembles her narrative through fragments of scenes.
Roy’s debut film is now set to travel to the British Film Institute next month and the director is expected to accompany her latest venture.
Anuparna Roy’s Self-Taught Mission-Cum-Journey
Born in a remote village of Purulia district famous for its backwardness, Mumpi (Anuparna’s nickname) had to overcome a groundswell of hurdles at home in order to realise her dream.
A setback in the 10th Standard examination compelled Roy’s father to pack her off to her uncle’s place for a wholesome training in English. This enabled Anuparna to study English Honours at a local college before her journey to New Delhi for a post-graduation in Mass Communications.
But little nuggets of social pathos of Purulia, her birthplace, have left a lasting impression. At home, her father was dead against Anuparna’s penchant for a celluloid journey. “Is she suffering from a reverie of becoming another Ray (read Satyajit Ray)?” parroted her father often.
The sneers only steeled the unwavering resolve of Roy. “No question of emulating Ray; but at least, I could try and make films that would deserve some award later,” came the hands-down reply from the daughter to the repeated jeers of father.
Dream Turns Into Reality
None in the neighbourhood, let alone her parents, had any inkling of the feat awaiting Anuparna a few years later. In fact, when she quit two secure jobs of as many MNCs in Mumbai to pursue her dream, she drew a lot of flak; notwithstanding this, she plunged herself into making films.
For her maiden venture ‘Run to the River’, she again travelled to her roots, Purulia, in 2021 and shot in various rugged landscapes at Noapara village.
When asked what was the immediate trigger that drove her into making films, Roy said that the The Gangs of Wasseypur directed by Anurag Kashyap injected a sort of obsession into her. “I am deeply indebted to Kashyap Sir for an umpteen number of assistance without which this film (Songs of Forgotten Trees) wouldn’t have been possible.”
Referring to Songs….., Roy recalls an incident when she was a student of the 8th standard. “My best friend Jhuma who suddenly got married, almost vanished in thin air shortly thereafter.”
“Unfortunately, my father imposed a severe restriction on me against making any attempt to contact Jhuma because they were Dalits and he won’t allow any sort of hobnobbing with Dalits,” regrets Anuparna.
The loss of her best friend had a deep impact on Roy as a child and it kept haunting her forever. “In fact, the actual root of this movie lay in this loss and the film seeks to delineate the tale of discovery of this lost love between two mates.”
Anuparna Roy’s Future Plans
The journey of the 29-year-old film director from an obscure Narayanpur village of Purulia has just begun with aplomb. What has she been looking forward to?
“ I’d love to work on films that would portray more about women, their hardship, their struggle and more importantly, I want other beginners like me, especially women, to draw inspiration from my success and replicate the same through their creative pieces,” concludes Roy.
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