- Boong won Best Childrens and Family Film at the BAFTA Awards 2026, first Indian to do so
- BAFTA removed Lakshmipriya Devi's acceptance speech from social media without explanation
- The speech highlighted ethnic violence in Manipur and called for peace and displaced children
The Manipuri-language film Boong made history at the BAFTA Awards 2026. The film won an award for Best Children's and Family Film, becoming the first Indian movie ever to claim the honour in this category. However, the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) is now facing severe backlash for taking down the moving winning speech of Manipuri filmmaker Lakshmipriya Devi.
It was indeed a proud moment as Boong etched its name in history by representing Indian regional cinema on the global platform. While India celebrated the win massively, it has now been overshadowed by the quiet removal of the director's speech by BAFTA, without any explanation.
However, the video was re-uploaded on BAFTA's YouTube page on Friday night, after its initial mysterious disappearance from Instagram, X, and YouTube, as reported by WION.
Reactions
One of the foremost people to react was social activist Binalakshmi Nepram.
She wrote, "Dear @BAFTA, did you remove the acceptance speech of an Indigenous Woman Director of award-winning film from Manipur, BOONG, from your social media accounts @X & Instagram? If yes, erasure of the acceptance speech of Director is tantamount to cultural erasure of Indigenous Peoples & women's voices & must be reinstated immediately. Inclusion and not erasure of our voices and our stories is the way forward."
Dear @BAFTA did you remove the acceptance speech of an Indigenous Woman Director of award winning film from Manipur, BOONG, from your social media accounts @X & instagram ? If yes,erasure of the acceptance speech of Director is tantamount to cultural erasure of Indigenous Peoples… https://t.co/Z7fmbXo8LB
— Binalakshmi Nepram (@BinaNepram) February 26, 2026
The controversy has now become a much larger thing, raising questions on representation and freedom of expression. A few other Internet users have also demanded a more logical explanation for such a drastic step without justification.
BAFTA is yet to release an official statement regarding the deletion.
The Speech
Lakshmipriya Devi's speech had deeply moved the audience as it brought the prolonged ethnic violence suffered by Manipur to the forefront.
She said, "Thank you to the jury members and BAFTA for giving our very small film such big love, a film that is rooted in a very troubled, very much ignored and very underrepresented [region] in India, my homeland, Manipur. It's a homage to my homeland."
She added, "Just want to use this opportunity to say that we pray for peace to return to Manipur. We pray that all the internally displaced children, including the child actors in the film, regain their joy, their innocence, and their dreams once again."
About Boong
Directed by Lakshmipriya Devi, Boong tells the story of a young boy living in Manipur during a time of social and political tension. The title means "little boy" in Manipuri.
The film follows Boong, played by Gugun Kipgen, who wants to reunite his family. He believes bringing his missing father home would make his mother, Mandakini (played by Bala Hijam), happy again. With the help of his best friend Raju, played by Angom Sanamatum, Boong travels to the border town of Moreh and even crosses into Myanmar in search of his father.
Before its cinema release in September 2025, Boong was shown at several international film festivals. It premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2024 and was later screened at the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne, the MAMI Mumbai Film Festival, and the Warsaw International Film Festival, where it received praise from critics.