Venice: Anuparna Roy's 'Lovers in Blue...' wins Best Asian Film
What's the story
Filmmaker Anuparna Roy has bagged the NETPAC Award for Best Asian Film at the Venice Film Festival for her second feature, Lovers in the Blue Night. The movie, which competed in the Orizzonti section, is Roy's second consecutive recognition at Venice after she won Best Director last year for her debut feature Songs of Forgotten Trees.
Film's recognition
Film's nuanced exploration of themes lauded by jury
The NETPAC jury lauded Lovers in the Blue Night for its "delicately sensitive vision of the intersecting lives of migrant workers."
The film was also praised for Roy's "confident voice" and its "cohesively nuanced" exploration of themes like displacement, hidden desire, gender, poverty, and class.
Director's statement
'Winning the NETPAC Award means a lot to me'
Roy expressed her deep personal connection to the film, stating, "Winning the NETPAC Award means a lot to me because this film comes from a very personal place."
"These are characters and lives that are often pushed to the margins."
"I wanted to approach them with tenderness, dignity, and honesty."
Upcoming premiere
Asian premiere at Busan International Film Festival in October
The film, set in Mumbai and produced by Vikas Kumar, Sharib Khan, Bibhanshu Rai, and Romil Modi, will have its Asian premiere at the Busan International Film Festival in October.
Roy has been invited as a jury member for this festival.
The movie competed with 14 other titles in the Orizzonti section, including La Ragazza con la Leica and The Burning Giants.
Film's theme
More about the film and its story
Lovers in the Blue Night tells the story of four migrants on Mumbai's margins: a closeted gay husband, his lonely wife, a thief, and a pimp.
Roy has said that she feels it is her "responsibility" to platform marginalized stories in films.
The film also features diverse languages including Gujarati, Hindi, Jalgaon Marathi, and Sylheti Bengali.