Mumbai/IBNS: Indian actress Priyanka Chopra has congratulated Anupana Roy, who scripted history by winning the Best Director Award at the 82nd Venice Film Festival.

Joining various others who heaped praises on Anuparna, Priyanka shared the news on her Instagram story and wrote, "Congratulations..."

Anuparna created history by becoming the first Indian filmmaker to win the Best Director award in the Orizzonti (Horizons) section, a segment that is dedicated to innovative, debut, and independent cinema.

Her debut film, Songs of Forgotten Trees, was the only Indian entry in that category, with the award presented by French filmmaker Julia Ducournau during the closing ceremony.

The film narrates the lives of two migrant women in Mumbai—Thooya (an aspiring actress navigating survival in the city) and Swetha (a corporate newcomer). Their relationship is a quietly evolving bond of empathy and survival 

The story draws from her own experiences and observations of women balancing perseverance and friendship under challenging urban conditions 

Anuparna was born in Narayanpur, a village in the Purulia district of West Bengal.

She completed her undergraduate studies in British English Literature at Burdwan University, later pursued mass communications, and also took acting training at Anupam Kher’s Actor Prepares Institute, along with various acting workshops. Before pursuing filmmaking, she worked in jobs like call centre operations and IT sales in Delhi and Mumbai.