Anuparna Roy's 'Songs Of Forgotten Trees' Makes History At Venice Film Festival
Anuparna Roy's film 'Songs of Forgotten Trees' presented by Anurag Kashyap makes history at Venice Film Festival
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Anuparna Roy made history on September 7 as the first Indian to win the Orizzonti Competition for Best Director at the 82nd Venice Film Festival. Roy won the prestigious award for her debut film Songs of Forgotten Trees.
Presented by filmmaker Anurag Kashyap, the film follows the life of an aspiring actor Thooya (Naaz Shaikh). Thooya was forced to sublet her Mumbai apartment to a stranger, Swetha (Sumi Baghel), a corporate professional - an unexpected connection forms, entangling their seemingly distant lives together.
The film, is Roy's attempt to highlight 'the unseen, the complex and the quietly resilient' voices of women in India, exploring the power of female kinship and connection.
Anuparna Roy accepting her Orizzonti Award for 'Best Director' at Venice Film Festival 2025
(Photo Courtesy: Instagram @annieroy09)
The 31 year-old director took to the stage, delivering an emotional acceptance speech saying, "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."
Roy also boldly stood in solidarity with Palestine.
Songs of Forgotten Trees is written, directed and co-produced by Anuparna Roy and produced by Bibhanshu Rai, Romil Modi and Ranjan Singh.
The film which was the only Indian film to get selected, was also nominated for the 'Best Film', 'Best Actor', 'Best Actress', 'Best Screenplay' and 'Special Orizzonti Jury Prize' categories at the 2025 Orizzonti Competition.
The Orizzonti section of the Venice Film Festival has previously platformed innovative Indian films such as Chaitanya's Tamhane's Court and Karan Tejpal's Stolen.