Lakshmipriya Devi’s powerful debut about a boy’s search for his father amid conflict takes home BAFTA glory, while Paul Thomas Anderson dominates with six awards for ‘One Battle After Another’.
By Rootsalert Entertainment Desk| 24-February-2026
Picture this: a quiet, powerful little film from India’s often-overlooked Northeast sneaks onto the world stage and walks away with a BAFTA beating out Disney’s shiny animated sequels and big-studio family movies. That’s exactly what happened at the 2026 BAFTA Film Awards in London on Sunday, when Lakshmipriya Devi’s debut feature ‘Boong’ won Best Children’s & Family Film.
Made in Manipuri language and released in 2024, ‘Boong’ follows a young boy on a heartfelt quest to find his missing father. But it’s set against the real backdrop of Manipur’s recent ethnic conflicts, displacement, and pain. It’s not a fluffy kids’ movie it’s tender, raw, and full of hope in the middle of hardship. The boy’s journey mirrors the innocence that conflict tries to steal, and the film quietly asks big questions about loss, resilience, and healing.
This wasn’t just any win. ‘Boong’ was the only Indian film nominated this year. It earned its spot after premiering at Toronto and shining at other top festivals. Produced by heavyweights like Excel Entertainment (Farhan Akhtar and Ritesh Sidhwani), Chalkboard Entertainment, and Suitable Pictures, it shows how regional stories can break through when the right people believe in them.
When the award was announced hilariously handed over by Paddington Bear himself Lakshmipriya Devi stepped up with producers Alan McAlex, Ritesh Sidhwani, and Farhan Akhtar (who’s soon playing Ravi Shankar in an upcoming Beatles project). She started her speech with a simple, beautiful Manipuri greeting: “Khurumjari.” Then she got straight to the heart.
“This is a film rooted in a place which is very troubled, very much ignored, and very unrepresented in India,” she said. She didn’t shy away from the reality back home. “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 and innocence once again.”
And then came the line that hit everyone: “We pray that no conflict is ever formidable enough to destroy the one superpower that all of us have as human beings, which is forgiveness.”
It was one of those moments where the room went quiet. Here was a filmmaker using the brightest spotlight to talk about forgiveness in a region that’s been hurting. It turned a celebration into something deeper, reminding everyone that movies can do more than entertain they can shine light on forgotten places and people.
India had another bright spot too: Alia Bhatt, looking stunning on the red carpet, presented the Best Film Not in the English Language award to Joachim Trier’s ‘Sentimental Value.’
The night had its blockbuster sweep as well. Paul Thomas Anderson’s ‘One Battle After Another’ a wild, politically charged story about a washed-up revolutionary (Leonardo DiCaprio) racing to save his daughter from an old enemy (Sean Penn) took home six awards. That included Best Picture, Best Director for Anderson, Best Adapted Screenplay (from Thomas Pynchon’s Vineland), Best Supporting Actor for Penn, plus cinematography and editing. It was a close race with Ryan Coogler’s ‘Sinners’ (a horror musical that made history with Coogler becoming the first Black winner of Original Screenplay, plus wins for Wunmi Mosaku’s supporting role and Ludwig Göransson’s score).
Other standouts: Robert Aramayo won Leading Actor for ‘I Swear’ (a moving story about a man with severe Tourette’s), Jessie Buckley took Leading Actress for Chloe Zhao’s ‘Hamnet’ (which also snagged Outstanding British Film), and Guillermo del Toro’s ‘Frankenstein’ cleaned up in design categories. ‘Zootopia 2’ got Best Animated, and ‘Avatar: Fire And Ash’ took visual effects.
But for many watching especially in India the real story was ‘Boong.’ In a year of big budgets and star power, a small, regional film from a troubled state reminded the world that great cinema comes from anywhere. It puts Manipuri voices front and center, honors the strength of its people, and maybe just maybe nudges more eyes toward Manipur’s ongoing struggles.
As Devi said, forgiveness is our greatest superpower. In a divided world, that’s a message worth hearing. And thanks to ‘Boong,’ it’s one more people around the globe now get to feel.
