Guwahati: Filmmaker Anuparna Roy from India made history by winning the Best Director Award at the 82nd edition of the Venice Film Festival.
The talented director hailing from West Bengal’s Purulia, bagged the award in the festival’s Orizzonti section for her debut feature film Songs of Forgotten Trees.
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French filmmaker Julia Ducournau (Raw, Titane), president of the jury of the Orizzonti section, announced Anuparna’s name for the coveted award.
Annapurna described the moment as ‘surreal.’
Annapurna did start her acceptance speech on a pleasant note, but later didn’t mince words while expressing her anger at the Gaza mayhem.
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“I want to take a moment and talk about something that is bigger, something disastrous that is happening in Palestine. Every child deserves 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,” she said.
Before dwelling on the Gaza havoc, Annapurna said, “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.”
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And she added, “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.”
Raised in a village in Purulia, Annapurna studied English literature and mass communications.
She even tried her luck at a call centre in Delhi.
Annapurna later shifted to Mumbai to work as an information technology sales executive.
Annapurna started her filmmaking journey with a short film Run to The River (2023).
Songs of Forgotten Trees traces the relations between two migrant women in Mumbai.
Starring Naaz Shaikh and Sumi Baghel, it is produced by Bibhanshu Rai, Romil Modi and Ranjan Singh.
Filmmaker Anurag Kashyap backed the project as a presenter.