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Venice-Winning Indian Filmmaker Says Debut Blocked by Censors
Anuparna Roy is an Indian filmmaker whose first movie won an important prize at the Venice Film Festival.
She says India’s film board has stopped the movie from being distributed in India.
Officials reportedly described the film as a threat to society.
Roy says this decision made her very upset because she represented India at Venice.
Her first movie is about two migrant women who share a home in Mumbai.
Roy’s new movie is also set in Mumbai and follows Bangladeshi migrants facing poverty, grief and questions about their sexuality.
She says independent filmmakers in India face pressure from politics and the popularity of large Bollywood films.
She is now showing her second movie at Venice and competing for another prize.
Anuparna Roy says India’s film board blocked distribution of her debut, "Songs of Forgotten Trees."
The film won Roy the Best Director prize in Venice’s Horizons section in 2025.
Roy says officials called the film a "threat to society" without allowing it to be shown domestically.
The film follows two migrant women sharing an apartment in Mumbai, including a part-time sex worker.
Roy has returned to Venice with "Lovers of the Blue Night," about Bangladeshi migrants in Mumbai.
- Who
- Indian filmmaker Anuparna Roy and India’s Central Board of Film Certification.
- What
- Roy says her Venice-winning debut film, "Songs of Forgotten Trees," has been blocked from distribution in India.
- Where
- The decision concerns distribution in India, while Roy’s films are being presented at the Venice Film Festival in Italy and are set largely in Mumbai.
- When
- The film won its Venice prize in 2025; Roy discussed the censorship decision this week while attending the festival with her second film.
- Why
- According to Roy, officials called the debut a "threat to society." She also suspects political pressure and her support for Palestinian rights may have contributed.
Filmmaker and Critics
Film Board Position
Whether the debut should be shown
Filmmaker and Critics
Roy argues that the film should be available in India and says she is deeply upset that a movie recognized internationally has been blocked at home.
Film Board Position
The film board has blocked distribution, with officials reportedly describing the film as a threat to society.
Political pressure and censorship
Filmmaker and Critics
Roy says independent filmmakers face limited space and political pressure, and she worries that her support for Palestinian rights may have affected the film’s treatment.
Film Board Position
The articles do not provide a detailed public explanation from the board beyond the reported characterization of the film as a threat to society.
Independent cinema in India
Filmmaker and Critics
Roy says filmmakers who do not praise the government or make propaganda films face difficulties, while mass-market Bollywood films dominate cinemas.
Film Board Position
The film board retains authority to require cuts and edits or block distribution under India’s film-certification system.
Key facts
- Filmmaker
- Anuparna Roy
- Debut film
- "Songs of Forgotten Trees"
- Venice award
- Best Director in the Horizons section in 2025
- Censorship authority
- India’s Central Board of Film Certification
- Reported reason
- Officials reportedly called the film a "threat to society"
- Second film
- "Lovers of the Blue Night"
- Second film’s setting
- Mumbai, featuring Bangladeshi migrants facing poverty, grief and sexuality-related struggles
Quotes
Anuparna Roy
Indian independent filmmaker and director of “Songs of Forgotten Trees”
“A few days back, they called us and they said that it's a 'threat to society'. Can you believe that 'Songs of Forgotten Trees' is a threat to society?”
deccanchronicle.com
“It's good for those who can praise the government and make a propaganda film. I am not somebody who can do that”
deccanchronicle.com
Sources
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