After Historic Best Director Win, Anuparna Roy Makes Rare Return to Venice with Second Consecutive Feature in Orizzonti Competition

Set in Mumbai, her second feature Lovers In The Blue Night is the only Indian film to compete in the Orizzonti section of 83rd Venice International Film Festival~

Lovers In The Blue Night is produced by the four producers  Vikas Kumar, Sharib Khan, Bibhanshu Rai and Romil Modi, who also backed Anuparna’s debut feature Songs Of Forgotten Trees

Mumbai : A year after making history by becoming the first Indian filmmaker to win the Best Director Award in the Orizzonti section at the 82nd Venice International Film Festival for her debut feature Songs Of Forgotten Trees, filmmaker Anuparna Roy returns to the prestigious festival with her second feature, Lovers In The Blue Night as the only Indian film to compete.

Selected once again in the Orizzonti Competition at the 83rd edition, Roy becomes one of the very few Indian filmmakers to have two consecutive features premiere in competition at Venice—a remarkable milestone for independent Indian cinema.

Returning to the Orizzonti Competition in consecutive years is an exceptionally rare achievement for any filmmaker, particularly from India. While several acclaimed Indian films have premiered at Venice over the years, very few Indian directors have returned to the festival with back-to-back features in competition, making Roy’s continued presence at one of the world’s most prestigious film festivals a significant milestone.

Produced by Vikas Kumar (Aarya, Kala Pani), Sharib Khan, Bibhanshu Rai and Romil Modi, who also backed Songs Of Forgotten Trees, the film is executive produced by Neeraj Churi (lead producer of acclaimed Sabar Bonda) and co-produced by Navin Shetty. The film is produced by Khan & Kumar Media in association with Ammi Media.

Set against Mumbai’s restless nights, Lovers In The Blue Night follows four migrants—a closeted husband, his lonely wife who works in a bar, a small-time thief and a pimp—whose lives intersect through unexpected love, survival and forbidden desire. Told in Hindi with Sylheti Bengali and Marathi, the film explores longing, migration, identity and the search for belonging in a city that leaves little room for vulnerability.

The film stars ensemble cast including Neelima Sharma, Pritam Pilania, Bhushan Shimpi, Jatin Sarin, Kajal Keshav and Vinod Suryavanshi

Excited about returning to Venice, Anuparna Roy says,“I’m overwhelmed with gratitude that Lovers in the Blue Night is heading to Venice. Returning to the Orizzonti Competition, after Songs of Forgotten Trees last year, is both humbling and deeply emotional. I’m deeply thankful to the Venice programming team for believing in our film, and to our producers, Sharib Khan and Vikas Kumar at Khan & Kumar Media, who have stood by my vision with unwavering trust across both films. This recognition belongs to the entire team who poured their hearts into the film, and I hope it encourages more honest, fearless, and deeply human stories to find their audience.”

One of the lead producers and co-founder of production company Khan & Kumar Media, Vikas Kumar says “At Khan & Kumar Media, Sharib and I have always believed that powerful stories deserve to travel beyond borders. Seeing Lovers in the Blue Night invited to the Orizzonti Competition at Venice, following Songs of Forgotten Trees last year, is an incredibly humbling moment for us. Anuparna Roy is one of the most distinctive filmmaking voices of her generation, and we’re honoured to continue this creative journey with her. Our sincere thanks to the Venice programming team, to fellow producers Bibhanshu and Romil and to our entire cast and crew, for helping bring this film to life. We can’t wait to share it with audiences around the world.” 

Vikas further adds, “For an independent filmmaker to return to Venice with a second consecutive feature is an extraordinary achievement, and we couldn’t be more thrilled to support Anuparna’s journey.”

Director’s Statement

“The film draws from my own life as a migrant, watching working-class lives slowly dissolve into the restless pulse of the city. It is about people who dare to desire in a world that punishes feelings—a gay man bound by duty, a woman yearning to be seen, and a thief craving acceptance.

As a filmmaker, I have always been drawn to stories that are deeply personal and political. As a child, I knew a woman named Ameena, who worked as a bonded labourer in my hometown. She became my constant companion. One day, I innocently asked her why she and her husband Karim never slept together. She quietly replied, ‘He doesn’t take me with him.’ I did not understand what she meant then, but the moment stayed with me.

Through this film, I wanted to carry that memory into an imagined Mumbai, where Ameena chooses her own freedom and desire, and lives the life she wants—even if that freedom leads her into another kind of loop, one that is finally chosen by her.”

About the Director

Anuparna Roy is a filmmaker and writer from Narayanpur, Purulia, West Bengal. A graduate in English Literature from Kulti College, she made her feature debut with Songs Of Forgotten Trees, which premiered in the Orizzonti section of the 82nd Venice International Film Festival, where she won the Best Director Award, becoming the first Indian filmmaker to receive the honour.

The film went on to screen at major international festivals including the BFI London Film Festival, Hong Kong Asian Film Festival, Cork International Film Festival and Lisboa Film Festival, earning accolades including the FIPRESCI Award for Best Screenplay and the Audience Award at Cork.

About Khan & Kumar Media and Ammi Media

Khan & Kumar Media is a Mumbai based independent film production company founded by actor Vikas Kumar, in creative partnership with Ammi Media, a New York based indie film company founded by tech entrepreneur Sharib Khan.

Their debut short film, Sonsi, won a National Film Award (Best Cinematography – non feature section) and qualified for Oscars 2022. 

Their debut feature film, Songs Of Forgotten Trees, had its world premiere in the Orizzonti section at the Venice Film Festival, 2025, and won Anuparna Roy the ‘Best Director’ award. 

Most recently, The Ink Stained Hand And The Missing Thumb, premiered at Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, Hunter’s Moon, at Shanghai International Film Festival, and their debut docu-feature, Going Solo, at Mumbai International Film Festival. They were also Executive Producers on the 2026 Oscar qualifying short film, Holy Curse.

With a growing slate of shorts, documentaries, and feature films in production, Khan & Kumar Media continues to champion bold, original voices.

Producer’s Note

Our first collaboration with Anupurna Roy on Songs of Forgotten Trees gave us a close understanding of the clarity and integrity of her voice as a filmmaker. Watching that film go on to premiere at Venice and earn the Orizzonti Best Director award only reinforced what we already knew – that Anupurna is a filmmaker of remarkable sensitivity and conviction.

With Lovers In The Blue Night, she returns with a story that is intimate, urgent, and deeply humane. We are drawn not only to the film’s exploration of migration, invisibility, and longing, but to its belief that love and desire can become quiet acts of resistance in a world that often denies people dignity.

As producers, we are drawn to stories that are rooted in a specific world yet resonate universally. Lovers in the Blue Night is set within the margins of Mumbai’s nightscape, but its emotional core – the need to be seen, to be loved, to belong – transcends geography.

Supporting this project is also a continuation of a creative partnership built on trust. We believe in Anupurna’s restrained, empathetic filmmaking and in her ability to create cinema that invites reflection rather than offering easy answers.

Crew

Screenwriter: Anuparna Roy

Cinematographer: Debjit Samanta

Editor: Ketul Thakkar

Production Designer: Karan Gupta

Sound Recording, Design & Mix: Arka Dey

Music: Nishant Ramtake

Costume Designer: Muskan Mittal

Make-Up: Bashir Shaikh

Vfx: Nube Studios