Filmmaker Anuparna Roy has made history with her feature debut of Songs of Forgotten Trees. The filmmaker won the Orizzonti Award for Best Director at the 82nd Venice Film Festival. The award was presented to the filmmaker by fellow prolific filmmaker Anurag Kashyap.
Anuparna spoke about her incredible achievement and said that she hopes the film resonates with women everywhere. 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 recognized Anuparna's effort, and said that he was proud of 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 said that supporting women like Anuparna, "isn't a choice, end of the day it's 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."
In relation to Flip Films' Ranjan Singh, he added that Anuparna's "first pitch" of a human drama helped produce the film she wanted. He further stated, "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 lone Indian film in the Orizzonti section this year, the film won over jury's and audiences as Anuparna won the coveted title, and when she accepted it on stage, there were tears in his eyes and dedicated the honour to his nation.
Bibhanshu Rai, Romil Modi, and Ranjan Singh are the producers of the film, which features Naaz Shaikh and Sumi Baghel as the two leading women in the movie. The theme of the film is about the lives of two women connecting in Mumbai.
According to the official; synopsis, "Songs of Forgotten Trees follows the story of Thooya, a migrant and aspiring actress, who survives the city by using her beauty and wit, at times trading intimacy for opportunities. She sublets her sugar daddy's high-end apartment to Swetha, another migrant, who works in a corporate setting. The two women, who appear to come from different worlds, soon have more than space in common."
About their lives, the synopsis said, "Within the city's relentless pulse, they find a kind of silent empathy. As their personal histories, desires, and wounds push through from beneath their fragile and special ties, what follows is neither rupture nor malfunction, but a strange and tender unfolding, of selfhood, of survival, of unexpected intimacy."