At the 82nd Venice Film Festival, Anuparna Roy became the first Indian to win Best Director in the Orizzonti (Horizons) section for her debut film, Songs of Forgotten Trees. The Orizzonti section highlights new trends in cinema, debut works, young talents, indie films, and lesser-known films that leave a significant impact. The film was the only Indian title featured in the Orizzonti Competition at this year's festival.
Songs of Forgotten Trees, presented by Anurag Kashyap, tells the story of two migrant women in Mumbai as they navigate loneliness, survival, and fleeting connections. Thooya, an aspiring actress, secretly works part-time as a sex worker, and Swetha is a call-center employee. When Thooya sublets her sugar daddy's flat to Swetha, an unexpected bond begins to form. Amidst the chaos of the city, they share silences, stories, and small acts of care; however, buried desires and past wounds emerge, testing their fragile bond. The film portrays a quiet blooming of selfhood, survival, and a platonic kinship between women navigating a world that rarely acknowledges them.
The award was announced by French filmmaker Julia Ducournau, president of the Orizzonti jury, during the festival's closing ceremony on Saturday. Roy, wearing a white saree, called the moment "surreal" and thanked the jury, her producers, her cast, and Anurag Kashyap. In a statement from Venice, Roy dedicated the award to women all around the world. She stated that the film is a tribute to every woman who has been silenced, overlooked, or underestimated and expressed her hope that the win would inspire more voices, stories, and power for women in cinema and beyond.
Roy explained that her intention was to portray the women and their intimate relationship, more than platonic, and the surviving part comes as a byproduct. She notes that Thooya is bold and not a victim. Roy drew on her own childhood experiences of friendship and loss, weaving personal and political themes such as caste and societal expectations into the narrative.
The film stars Naaz Shaikh and Sumi Baghel and is produced by Bibhanshu Rai, Romil Modi, and Ranjan Singh. Producer Bibhanshu Rai said that making the film was not easy but they held on because the story had to be told and he knew Roy would never give up. Producer Romil Modi emphasized that supporting women like Anuparna isn't just a choice, but a responsibility, and that their stories hold strength, honesty, and heart.
Other winners at the 82nd Venice Film Festival included Jim Jarmusch, who won the Golden Lion for Best Film for Father Mother Sister Brother. Benny Safdie won the Silver Lion for Best Director for The Smashing Machine.
