Anuparna Roy's 'Lovers in the Blue Night' wins NETPAC Award at Venice Film Festival
Bengal-born independent filmmaker Anuparna Roy has won the NETPAC Award for Best Asian Film at the Venice Film Festival for her second feature "Lovers in the Blue Night", marking her second consecutive recognition at the prestigious festival.
The film, which premiered in the Orizzonti (Horizons) section on September 11, follows four migrant workers living on the margins of Mumbai as their lives intersect through loneliness, desire, survival and love.
The characters, who arrive in the metropolis chasing hope and dreams, navigate their lives in Hindi, Sylheti and Marathi.
Roy said the award was particularly meaningful because the film emerged from a deeply personal space and focuses on people whose lives often remain on the margins.
"I wanted to approach them with honesty. To receive this recognition at Venice, a year after my debut was awarded here, is deeply moving," she said after receiving the honour.
Roy also shared the news on social media, describing the moment as "a little surreal, a lot of gratitude" and recalling the film's seven-minute standing ovation at the festival.
The NETPAC (Network for the Promotion of Asian Cinema) jury praised Roy's sensitive and delicate portrayal of marginalised lives and the intersecting experiences of migrant workers.
It also lauded her assured filmmaking and the film's nuanced engagement with displacement, urban survival, desire, gender and poverty.
"Lovers in the Blue Night" was the only Indian feature in competition at this year's festival. It competed alongside 14 other titles, including "La Ragazza con la Leica", "The Burning Giants", "What Belongs to Others", "Falling House", "The Difficult Bride" and "Until the Day Ends".
The latest award comes a year after Roy won the Best Director honour at Venice for her debut feature "Songs of Forgotten Tree" in 2025.
With "Lovers in the Blue Night", Roy has now followed up her debut Venice success with another recognition at the festival, establishing a notable consecutive run on the international film circuit.
The film stars Neelima Sharma, Pritam Pilania, Kajal Keshav, Jatin Sarin, Bhushan Shimpi and Vinod Suryavanshi.
"Lovers in the Blue Night" is backed by Vikas Kumar, Sharib Khan, Bibhanshu Rai and Romil Modi, with Neeraj Churi, Beesham A Seecharan and Navin Shetty serving as co-producers.
