Anuparna Roy has become the first Indian to win the Best Director award for Songs of Forgotten Trees in the Orrizonti Competition section at the Venice
Film Festival 2025. The film is backed by Anurag Kashyap. As Anuparna makes India proud, Alia Bhatt sent a shoutout on Instagram Story.
Alia Bhatt congratulates Anuparna Roy
Through her production house, Eternal Sunshine’s Instagram page, Alia congratulated Anuparna and wrote, “A huge congratulations to Anuparna Roy for her win at Venice for Songs of Forgotten Trees. What a beautiful moment for Indian cinema (sic)”
ALSO READ: Anuparna Roy On Creating History At Venice Film Festival 2025: Not Just Me, It's Cinema Which...
Director Anuparna Roy on Venice Film Festival 2025 win for Songs of Forgotten Trees
After winning the Best Director award, Anuparna reacted to being lauded for creating history. She told Hindustan Times, "All these statements are making me humble. I cannot lie back and enjoy hearing that I have created history. Come on! I am inspired by many other and better women filmmakers from within and outside India. It’s not just me; it’s cinema which has created history again. I would love to give the award to cinema, and my love for it."
The director added, "If any of them, after seeing this, can raise their voices, it would be great. It will be sufficient for me to keep myself motivated."
In a statement from Venice, 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."
All you need to know about Songs of Forgotten Trees
Songs of Forgotten Trees is about two migrant women in Mumbai as they navigate loneliness, survival, and fleeting bonds of companionship.
