Anuparna Roy, the acclaimed filmmaker behind Songs of Forgotten Trees, made history by winning the Best Director award in the Orizzonti section at the Venice Film Festival 2025. This makes her the first Indian director to achieve the feat. Anuparna Roy's parents, Brahmananda Roy and Manisha Roy, who once objected to their daughter's foray into cinema, reacted to the achievement and called themselves "the proudest parents in the world." Anuparna has been facing a lot of hate on social media after she voiced her support for Palestine during her acceptance speech. Her parents have now reacted to the same and expressed their concern. Venice Film Festival 2025: India's Anuparna Roy Creates History With Best Director Award Win for 'Songs of Forgotten Trees', Film Presented by Anurag Kashyap.

Anuparna Roy’s Parents Defend Her Remarks About Palestine

Anuparna Roy's parents are deeply disturbed by the backlash surrounding their daughter's comments about Palestine after her historic ENIC Film Festival win. Speaking to the Indian Express, her father, Brahmananda Roy, opened up about their daughter being targeted on social media and said, "We are deeply disturbed and concerned about what is happening after our daughter has made the country proud. On social media my daughter is being targeted for her remarks on the plight of children in Palestine. Various sections of people are targeting her for her remarks and alleging she is standing with a particular community. We have spoken to her about the issue. She is in Mumbai and is very busy. But she too is unhappy about the issue."

Anuparna Roy Wins Best Director Award for ‘Sogs of Forgotten Trees’ at Venice Film Festival 2025

 

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Anuparna Roy's father said that the filmmaker's words have been misinterpreted on the internet. "If you listen to the speech carefully she said, ‘Every child has the right to peace, freedom and liberation and Palestine is no exception.’ She did not speak about any community. She spoke of every child in the world. She did not say anything wrong," her 63-year-old father said.

The filmmaker's mother, Manisha Roy, also asked trolls to stop targeting their daughter. She asked, "Why are they all targeting her? Is it wrong to speak about the welfare of children? She just expressed her opinion. Everyone has the right to have his or her opinion. She is a young and upright human being. She made us proud and the country proud. This is how a section of people treat such a person?"

What Did Anuparna Roy Say About Palestine?

After her Best Director win at the Venice Film Festival 2025 for Songs of Forgotten Trees, Anuparna Roy took some time to talk about the ongoing Palestine conflict. During her acceptance speech, she said, "I want to take a moment and talk about something that is bigger and disastrous happening in Palestine. Every child deserves peace, freedom, liberation, and Palestine is no exception. This is a responsibility to think for a moment and stand beside Palestine. I might upset my country, but it doesn't matter to me anymore." Venice Film Festival 2025: Dwayne Johnson’s ‘The Smashing Machine’ Wins Silver Lion for Best Director, Jim Jarmusch’s ‘Father Mother Sister Brother’ Receives Golden Lion Award.

Anuparna Roy Comes Out in Support of Palestine at Venice Film Festival 2025

 More About ‘Songs of Forgotten Trees’

Anuparna Roy's Songs of Forgotten Trees was the only Indian film in the Orizzonti section at the prestigious award ceremony. The film stars Naaz Shaikh, Sumi Baghel, Ravi Mann and Pritam Pilania, among others. Filmmaker and actor Anurag Kashyap has served as a presenter for the movie. It is produced by Bhibhanshu Rai, Romil Modi and Ranjan Singh.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 10, 2025 02:07 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).