Venice Film Festival to screen 4K restored version of Bimal Roy's "Do Bigha Zamin"

THE 2025 edition of the Venice Film Festival is set to showcase a 4K restored version of "Do Bigha Zamin", the 1953 classic directed by acclaimed filmmaker Bimal Roy.

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The announcement coincides with the legendary filmmaker's 116th birth anniversary.

Presented under the Venice Classics section, "Do Bigha Zamin", titled "Two Acres of Land" in English, has been selected among a distinguished lineup of restored cinematic masterpieces, which also includes "Matador" by Pedro Almodovar, "Roma Ore 11" by Giuseppe De Santis, "Przypadek" by Krzysztof Kieslowski and "Lolita" by Stanley Kubrick.

The screening will be presented by Roy's children -- Rinki Roy Bhattacharya, Aparajita Roy Sinha, and Joy Bimal Roy along with Shivendra Singh Dungarpur, director of the Film Heritage Foundation.

The restoration is a collaborative effort between the Film Heritage Foundation, The Criterion Collection, and Janus Films.

Acclaimed lyricist and filmmaker Gulzar welcomed the announcement, calling the film “historic.”

"It's amazing that 'Do Bigha Zamin' is restored and will be shown in Venice. This film is historic as it changed the way films were made in India. After Chetan Anand's 'Neecha Nagar' which won an award at the Cannes Film Festival, this was the second Indian film to win at the Cannes Film Festival and receive international recognition.