The 82nd Venice International Film Festival was held from August 27 to September 6 in Italy. The jury received a total of 4,580 film submissions, out of which only 21 films were selected for the main competition. Among the 19 films showcased in the Horizons (Orizzonti) category was the one by Indian filmmaker Anuparna Roy, ‘Song of Forgotten Trees’.
Scripting history at the global platform, Roy became the first Indian to win the Best Director Award in the category. The Orizzonti category encourages new cinema, debut work, young talent, indie films, and lesser-known names that have the power to leave a huge impact. Being the only Indian film in the category, Roy described the winning moment as “surrea”, for her film, ‘Song of Forgotten Trees’.
Who is Anuparna Roy?
Anupurna Roy is a filmmaker from Narayanpur, a village in West Bengal‘s Purulia district. She graduated with a degree in British English Literature from Burdwan University. Before entering filmmaking, she worked in corporate jobs in Delhi and Mumbai, including as an IT sales executive. Driven by a strong passion for cinema, she pursued a diploma in acting from Anupam Kher’s Actor Prepares Institute and participated in acting workshops in Mumbai.
She debuted her filmmaking career as an assistant director on a short film, Run to the River in 2023. Song of Forgotten Trees was her first feature film, a multi-lingual exploration of two women navigating their intertwined struggles in Mumbai.
Anuparna Roy’s winning moment
In her winning speech, Roy thanked the cast, Naaz Shaikh and Sumi Baghel, and Anurag Kashyap for his support on the film. “I want to thank my DoP, the 80-year-old gaffer Debjit Banerjee,” she added.
Additionally, Roy also took a moment to speak about Palestine and the inbound sufferings. “Every child deserves peace, freedom, and liberation, and Palestine is no exception,” she said adding, “even if it upsets my country, it’s what I must say.”
Venice Film Festival: Complete winners list
Golden Lion: Father Mother Sister Brother, Jim Jarmusch
Grand Jury Prize: The Voice of Hind Rajab, Kaouther Ben Hania
Special Jury Prize: Sotto le nuvole, Gianfranco Rosi
Silver Lion for Best Director: Benny Safdie, The Smashing Machine
Volpi Cup for Best Actress: Xin Zhilei, The Sun Rises on Us All
Volpi Cup for Best Actor: Toni Servillo, La Grazia
Best Screenplay: À pied d’œuvre, Valérie Donzelli and Gilles Marchand
Marcello Mastroianni Award for emerging performer: Luna Wedler, Silent Friend
Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement: Werner Herzog and Kim Novak
Orizzonti
Best Film: En el Camino, David Pablos
Best Director: Anuparna Roy, Songs of Forgotten Trees
Special Jury Prize: Hara Watan, Akio Fujimoto
Best Actress: Benedetta Porcaroli, Il Rapimento di Arabella
Best Actor: Giacomo Covi, Un Anno di Scuola
Best Screenplay: Hiedra, Ana Cristina Barragán
Best Short Film: Without Kelly, Lovisa Sirén
Venice Spotlight
Armani Beauty Audience Award: Calle Málaga, Maryam Touzani
Lion of the Future
Luigi De Laurentiis Award for a Debut Film: Short Summer, Nastia Korkia
Venice Classics
Best Documentary on Cinema: Mata Hari, Joe Beshenkovsky and James Smith
Best Restored Film: Bashu, the Little Stranger, Bahram Beyzaie
Venice Immersive
Venice Immersive Achievement Prize: The Long Goodbye by Victor Maes and Kate Voet
Special Jury Prize: Less Than 5gr of Saffron by Négar Motevalymeidanshah
Grand Prize: The Clouds Are Two Thousand Meters Up by Singing Chen and Shuping Lee