Who is Anuparna Roy? First Indian to win Best Director prize at Venice Film Festival
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "Who is Anuparna Roy? First Indian to win Best Director prize at Venice Film Festival")
Anuparna Roy Photograph: (AFP)
The Venice Film Festival is one of the most prestigious film festivals in the world. The 82nd edition of the festival started on Aug 27 and came to an end on Sept 6.
Anuparna Roy scripted history at the prestigious Venice Film Festival. The 82nd edition of the festival concluded on August 6, with the jury announcing the winners. On the final day, Roy became the first Indian filmmaker to win the Best Director award in the Orizzonti section of the competition for her film Songs of Forgotten Trees.
The 83rd Venice Film Festival wrapped up with a grand ceremony, where the jury announced this year’s winners. Independent filmmaker Jim Jarmusch won the Golden Lion for Best Film for Father Mother Sister Brother.
Anuparna Roy wins Best Director award
Hosted by Emanuela Fanelli, the closing ceremony saw Roy making history as she became the first Indian to win the Best Director award for her feature debut film. Presented by acclaimed Indian director Anurag Kashyap, Songs of Forgotten Trees was the only Indian film presented in the Orizzonti section this year.
French filmmaker Julia Ducournau announced Anuparna as the winner. As a tribute to her Indian roots, Roy wore a white saree for the ceremony.
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In her acceptance speech, Anuparna called the win ‘’surreal'' as she thanked Anurag,'' I am standing here at a great festival like Venice… I want my begin by thanking the jury, the audience, and the director of the festival. I want to thank my producer who said yes to the film which did not fit into the boxes stereotype films… Anurag [Kashyap] believed in the film from the beginning. I want to thank my incredible cast- beautiful Naaz Shaikh, Sumi Baghel- this award is yours,” she said, via HT.
In her speech, Roy did not forget to mention her country, and also spoke about Palestine:
She shared, “Each one there in my hometown, in my country, I want to dedicate this award to them. I want to thank Celluloid Films who showed faith in the film. I want to thank my DoP, the 80-year-old gaffer Debjit Banerjee… each one of you were amazing… I want to take a moment and talk about something that is bigger, something disastrous that is happening in Palestine. Every child deserbes peace, freedom and liberation and Palestine is no exception. This is a responsibility to think for a moment… I might upset my country but it doesn't matter to me anymore. Thank you so much!”
Who is Anuparna Roy?
Hailing from Narayanpur, a village in Purulia, West Bengal, Roy studied British English Literature at Burdwan University. Reportedly working in New Delhi, she later shifted to Mumbai to begin her career in cinema. However, in the early days, she had to take up different jobs before finding work in the industry.
Her journey as a filmmaker started as an assistant director on the short film Run to the River (2023). The film travelled to several festivals and received multiple prestigious awards.
Roy, who is also a writer, self-funded Songs of Forgotten Trees while working three corporate jobs in Mumbai, according to the Economic Times.
More about the movie Songs of Forgotten Trees
Starring Naaz Shaikh and Sumi Baghel, the film revolves around the lives of two migrant women in Mumbai as they navigate the bustling city while facing their own challenges. The project was presented by Anurag Kashyap, with Bibhanshu Rai, Romil Modi, and Ranjan Singh as producers.
The movie also features Bhushan Shimpi, Ravi Maan, and Lovely Singh.
