{
  "id": 6704014,
  "title": "Indian filmmaker Anuparna Roy, blocked at home, feted in Europe",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/11/indian-filmmaker-anuparna-roy-blocked-at-home-feted-in-europe-6704014",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-11T03:03:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Free Malaysia Today",
    "slug": "free-malaysia-today-freemalays",
    "url": "https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/leisure/2026/09/11/indian-filmmaker-anuparna-roy-blocked-at-home-feted-in-europe"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Anuparna Roy, an independent Indian filmmaker, faced censorship and distribution blockage for her film \"Songs of Forgotten Trees\" after winning the best director prize at the 2025 Venice International Film Festival. The film, set in Mumbai, explores the lives of migrant women, one a sex worker, and the other a call center employee. Despite its tender story about friendship, the film was deemed a \"threat to society\" by India's powerful film board, the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC). Roy expressed her disappointment, stating that she had represented her country at the festival and won the award for the nation. The film's themes of poverty, sexism, religious discrimination, and corruption in the Indian police resonate with the issues raised in another film, \"Santosh,\" which also faced censorship. Roy is currently in Venice with her second film, \"Lovers of the Blue Night,\" which also delves into sensitive topics such as Bangladeshi migrants' struggles in Mumbai. Roy sees limited opportunities for independent filmmakers in India, largely due to the dominance of Bollywood and political pressure. She worries that her support for Palestinian rights might have contributed to the censorship issues. Roy is part of a new generation of female Indian directors, including Payal Kapadia, who have gained success at prestigious film festivals. Both Roy and Kapadia are largely self-taught, having learned filmmaking from friends and mentors. Roy's inspiration comes from Mumbai's energy and hardships, while she strives to present her subjects empathetically, avoiding romanticized portrayals of poverty.",
  "summary": "Anuparna Roy’s return to the prestigious Venice film festival has been overshadowed by India’s film board blocking distribution of her 2025 debut, ‘Songs of Forgotten Trees’.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Free Malaysia Today",
        "title": "Indian filmmaker Anuparna Roy, blocked at home, feted in Europe",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/11/indian-filmmaker-anuparna-roy-blocked-at-home-feted-in-europe",
        "published": "2026-09-11T03:03:00.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}