India marked a proud achievement at the 2026 BAFTA Awards as the Manipuri-language film “Boong” won the BAFTA award for Best Children’s and Family Film.
The movie was directed by Laskhmipriya Devi.
Boong, supported by actor-producers Farhan Akhtar and Ritesh Sidhwani, competed against Disney films Lilo & Stitch and Zootopia 2, as well as the animated science-fantasy movie Arco, in the Best Children’s & Family Film category.
The coming-of-age story follows a young boy named Boong (played by Gugun Kipgen) from Manipur, who hopes to surprise his mother with a gift. In his innocent belief, bringing his father home would be the most meaningful present. His journey to find his father leads to an unexpected gift, a fresh start.
The film had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2024 and was released in theatres in September of the same year.
It was also featured at several film festivals, including the Warsaw International Film Festival, MAMI Mumbai Film Festival, the 55th International Film Festival of India, and the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne.
Boong marks the directorial debut of Lakshmipriya Devi, who previously worked as a first assistant director on Excel Entertainment projects such as Luck by Chance and Talaash, as well as Aamir Khan’s PK and Mira Nair’s series A Suitable Boy.
“Boong” is also produced by Chalkboard Entertainment and Suitable Pictures.
According to the Toronto International Film Festival, the brief description of the film states, “Schoolboy Boong (Gugun Kipgen) doesn’t see long distances and state borders as significant obstacles. At least not when it comes to giving his mother, Mandakini (Bala Hijam), the best surprise gift ever: bringing back his father, Joykumar.”
“After leaving their home city of Manipur, India, for the border city of Moreh, near Myanmar, in search of better job opportunities, Joykumar has stopped communicating with the family. With rumours spreading about his father’s death, Boong refuses to accept that grim possibility and teams up with his best friend, Raju (Angom Sanamatum), an outsider from Rajasthan, to search for the truth,” it added.
BAFTA 2026: Best film nominees
The BAFTA best film nominees are “One Battle After Another,” “Hamnet,” “Marty Supreme,” “Sinners” and “Sentimental Value.” The BAFTAs also have a distinctly British accent, with a separate category for best British film. Its 10 nominees include “The Ballad of Wallis Island,” “Pillion,” “I Swear” and “Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy.”
Directing contenders are Paul Thomas Anderson for “One Battle,” Josh Safdie for “Marty Supreme,” Coogler for “Sinners,” Yorgos Lanthimos for dystopian tragicomedy “Bugonia,” Joachim Trier for “Sentimental Value” and Zhao for “Hamnet.” Zhao will be the first female director to win two BAFTAs if she takes the prize. She won the directing award in 2021 for “Nomadland.”
