Filmmaker Anuparna Roy made her feature debut with Songs of Forgotten Trees and has already created history. The filmmaker won the Orizzonti Award for Best Director at the prestigious 82nd Venice Film Festival. Anurag Kashyap presented the award.
Anuparna talked about her huge win and noted that she expects the film to inspire all women. She said, "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."
Producer Bibhanshu Rai complimented Anuparna’s efforts and expressed pride in her. He said, "Making this film was never easy. We went through challenges, tough days, and moments of doubt. But we held on, because this story had to be told. I knew Anuparna would never give up. She has that fire and it kept all of us going.”
Meanwhile, producer Romil Modi suggested that supporting women like Anuparna isn’t "just a choice, but a responsibility. He said, “Their stories hold so much strength, honesty, and heart; far more compelling than the endless war-driven tales we see today. This film is my way of standing by her, and by every woman whose voice deserves to be heard.”
According to Flip Films' Ranjan Singh, Anuparna "stayed true to her first pitch" of the human drama and produced the movie she had in mind. He added, "This win is the best testament that if one tells stories that they believe in truly, they will resonate with everyone across the world."
Songs of Forgotten Trees was the only Indian film chosen for this year's prestigious Orizzonti section. The film wowed the jury and audience as it took home the coveted title for Anuparna, who took to the stage with tears in his eyes and dedicated the honour to his nation.
The film is produced by Bibhanshu Rai, Romil Modi and Ranjan Singh and stars Naaz Shaikh and Sumi Baghel in the lead roles. The film follows the story of two women and how their lives get intertwined in Mumbai.
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The official synopsis reads, ‘Songs of Forgotten Trees follows the story of Thooya, a migrant and aspiring actress, who survives the city by leveraging beauty and wit, occasionally trading intimacy for opportunity. When she sublets her sugar daddy’s upscale apartment to Swetha, a fellow migrant working a corporate job, the two women—seemingly from different worlds— begin to share more than just a space.’
The synopsis continued, ‘Amid the relentless pulse of Mumbai, they discover a silent empathy. But as personal histories, desires, and wounds resurface, their delicate connection is tested. What follows is not a rupture, but a strange and tender unfolding—of selfhood, of survival, of unexpected kinship.’
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