Boong: The Manipuri Film That Won BAFTA 2026

Boong, a Manipuri film written and directed by Lakshmipriya Devi, won Best Children’s and Family Film at the 79th BAFTA Awards in February 2026 — making it the first Indian film ever to win a BAFTA. The Boong Manipuri film BAFTA 2026 result is also the first BAFTA in any category for a film directed by an Indian woman. Produced by Excel Entertainment, the film is set in a small Manipuri village and follows a young boy’s search for his missing father.

The film had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on 5 September 2024 before travelling the international festival circuit through 2025. It then competed at BAFTA against well-known studio releases including Disney’s Lilo & Stitch, the animated feature Arco, and Zootropolis 2. Lakshmipriya Devi’s win is being read both as a personal milestone for a debut filmmaker and as a moment for Northeast Indian cinema.

The Story

Boong is set in a small village in Manipur. The title character — a spirited young boy played by Gugun Kipgen — lives with his single mother Mandakini, played by Bala Hijam. His father Joykumar, played by Hamom Sadananda, has mysteriously disappeared, leaving the family with unanswered questions. Determined to “bring home the best gift ever” for his mother, Boong sets out to find him.

The narrative belongs to the child-protagonist tradition in Indian cinema — close to the lineage of Apu in Pather Panchali or Phailin in The Blue Umbrella — but it is rooted very specifically in Manipuri language, geography, and family life. Devi’s direction draws on grounded visual style: long held shots of village streets, kitchens, school routes, and forest edges, with the child’s curiosity carrying the camera.

A Manipuri Voice on a Global Stage

Boong is a Manipuri-language film. That a Manipuri-language work from a debut woman director has won the BAFTA for Best Children’s and Family Film is significant for two reasons. The first is regional — Manipur and the wider Northeast have long been under-represented in mainstream Indian cinema and almost invisible internationally. The second is industrial — international children’s film recognition has tended to skew towards English-language and major-studio releases.

Lakshmipriya Devi: The Director

Boong is Lakshmipriya Devi’s directorial debut. She is a Manipuri filmmaker whose sensitive storytelling and grounded visual style have drawn international attention through the festival circuit. The film was written by Devi as well.

Acceptance and Message on Manipur

In her acceptance speech at the BAFTA ceremony in London, Devi spoke about the long road to the award, saying it felt like “the last few steps to reach a summit of a mountain we never knew we were climbing in the first place.” She used the platform to refer to the ongoing unrest in Manipur, adding a public prayer for peace in the state. The message connected the film’s setting and its cinematic life with the political and humanitarian situation that Manipur has been navigating since 2023.

The BAFTA Win

The 79th British Academy Film Awards were held in London in February 2026. Boong was nominated and won in the Best Children’s and Family Film category, beating Disney’s Lilo & Stitch, Arco, and Zootropolis 2. The Children’s and Family category is one of the newer additions to the BAFTA roster and recognises films aimed at younger audiences.

Festival Path to BAFTA

The film’s path to BAFTA started at the Toronto International Film Festival, where it had its world premiere on 5 September 2024. It travelled through international festivals across 2025, picking up audience and jury attention before being placed on the BAFTA longlist and then nominated in the Children’s and Family category.

For broader coverage on Manipur, see Kuki-Naga conflict in Manipur, which provides context to Devi’s speech.

What the Win Signals

Three signals come out of the Boong BAFTA win.

• Regional Indian cinema has a global audience when the storytelling is specific and assured
• Children’s and family films from non-English-speaking traditions can compete with major-studio releases
• The Northeast deserves a larger share of India’s domestic cinematic and policy attention

Industry Implications

Producer Excel Entertainment backing a Manipuri-language debut director also signals a shift in mainstream production financing. Children’s and family films are not typically the highest-margin segment in Indian commercial cinema, so the willingness to back a Manipuri-language family film with international ambitions is itself notable.

Cultural and Linguistic Visibility

For the Manipuri language, which is one of the scheduled languages under the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution but rarely seen in international cinema markets, the BAFTA visibility is unusual and welcome. It opens space for further investment in Manipuri-language productions and for cross-state collaborations.

The Wider Context of Indian Cinema at International Awards

India’s record at the BAFTAs has historically been thin. Indian films have been nominated in international and foreign-language sections in the past, and Indian technicians have won in craft categories on international co-productions, but a clean BAFTA in a major film category by an Indian-directed film is new. Boong’s win in the Children’s and Family category sits alongside the Oscar wins for Indian-origin productions in recent years and points to a broader maturing of Indian cinema’s international visibility.

FAQs

Who directed Boong?

Boong was written and directed by Lakshmipriya Devi. It is her directorial debut.

What language is the film in?

Boong is a Manipuri-language film, set in a small village in Manipur.

Which BAFTA award did Boong win?

Boong won the Best Children’s and Family Film award at the 79th BAFTA ceremony held in London in February 2026.

Is Boong the first Indian film to win a BAFTA?

Yes. Boong is the first Indian film to win a BAFTA in this category and the first film directed by an Indian woman to win a BAFTA in any category.

Who produced Boong?

The film was produced by Excel Entertainment.

Where did Boong have its world premiere?

Boong had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on 5 September 2024.

Which films did Boong beat at the BAFTAs?

Boong won against Disney’s Lilo & Stitch, the animated feature Arco, and Zootropolis 2 in the Children’s and Family category.

What is the plot of Boong?

The film follows a young boy named Boong, who lives with his single mother in a Manipuri village after his father’s mysterious disappearance, and sets out to find him in order to “bring home the best gift ever” for his mother.