BAFTA deletes 'Boong' filmmaker Lakshmipriya Devi's Manipur address, restores video on YouTube later

The Manipuri film 'Boong' made history after it won the BAFTA 2026 award in the Best Children's and Family Film category. With that achievement, it became the first ever Indian movie to bag the honor. Amidst this, the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) is receiving a backlash for removing the winning speech of the Manipuri filmmaker Lakshmipriya Devi. Let's learn more about it in detail. In her winning speech, the 'Boong' director Lakshmipriya Devi called for peace in the Indian state of Manipur. The filmmaker was lauded for the historic win as well as her winning speech. However, the official X account of BAFTA removed the director's winning address from the platform. The British Academy didn't provide any explanation for the same. Soon, the people of the internet called out the action. However, WION has reported that the video was reposted on BAFTA's YouTube channel on Friday after initially dropping from Instagram, X, and YouTube. A social activist, Binalakshmi Nepram, wrote on X, "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." Others have also demanded an explanation for the same. Meanwhile, the British Academy is yet to make an official statement on the same.In her acceptance speech for 'Boong', Lakshmipriya Devi 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 an 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."Directed by Lakshmipriya Devi, 'Boong' features Gugun Kipgen, Bala Hijam, Angom Sanamatum, Vikram Kochhar, Nemetia Ngangbam, Jenny Khurai, and Hamom Sadananda. The movie is set to re-release in theaters after the BAFTA win on March 6, 2026.