India, Sept. 12 -- Once upon a time, a young woman from West Bengal's Purulia district dreamt of making a movie. Defying all odds, she brought to screen a story of two migrant women determined to survive in a big city.

That dream of a film is Songs of Forgotten Trees (SoFT). This week, it won Anuparna Roy the Orizzonti Award for Best Director at the Venice International Film Festival. (Orizzonti is Italian for Horizons; the section focuses on up-and-coming talent and debut films.)

For a first-timer who knew no one in the business and shot much of her film in her apartment, on a tiny budget, this is the stuff of fairy tales.

While SoFT has some clumsy edges, Roy is in her element as she traces the delicate relationship between her two p...