Anuparna Roy First Indian To Win Best Director At Venice Film Festival

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VENICE– Indian filmmaker Anuparna Roy has made history, winning the Best Director award in the Orizzonti Competition at the 82nd Venice Film Festival for her film ‘Songs of Forgotten Trees’. The award was announced by French filmmaker Julia Ducournau, president of the Orizzonti jury, during the festival’s closing ceremony on September 6.

Dressed in a white saree, Roy accepted the honor, calling the moment “surreal” and thanking the jury, her producers, her cast, and filmmaker Anurag Kashyap, who presented the film.

‘Songs of Forgotten Trees’ was the only Indian entry in the Orizzonti section and explores the lives of two migrant women in Mumbai as they deal with themes of loneliness, survival, and brief moments of connection.

Other notable winners at the festival’s main competition included Jim Jarmusch’s ‘Father Mother Sister Brother’ which won the Golden Lion, while Benny Safdie took the Silver Lion for Best Director for ‘The Smashing Machine’. Toni Servillo received Best Actor for his role in ‘La Grazia,’ and Xin Zhilei won Best Actress for ‘The Sun Rises on an All’.

In the Orizzonti section, David Pablos’ ‘En El Camino’ was named Best Film, and Giacomo Covi won Best Actor for ‘A Year of School’. The Special Jury Prize went to Akio Fujimoto for ‘Lost Land.’ (ANI)