The Triumphant journey of Lakshmipriya Devi
How a debut filmmaker from India silenced Hollywood giants and made history at the 79th British Academy Film Awards (BAFTA) with a small heartfelt film called Boong.
Boong Manipuri language film directed by Lakshmipriya Devi which won the Best Children’s and Family Film award beating none other than Disney’s Lilo & Stitch and Zootopia 2.
Who is Lakshmipriya Devi?
Lakshmipriya who grew up in Manipur, has always connected to cinema, always there in her blood – the first three cinema halls in Manipur were owned by her family.
A graduate in Economics Honors (Miranda House) and a post graduate in Mass Communication from MCRC, Jamia. Lakshmipriya always desired to tell stories, but chose never to direct one if the story did not come from inside a real one.
Devi worked as an assistant director in landmark Indian productions, including Farhan Akhtar’s LAKSHYA (2004) and Rajkumar Hirani’s PK and many more.
The film that almost wasn’t made
Boong- a Manipuri word meaning “little boy” – tells a story of young schoolboy who sets out on a journey from the hills of Manipur toward the Myanmar, searching for his missing father. The film carries its weight on humanity and gentleness. Devi wrote and directed the film itself. There are no commercial stars – only raw, honest performances from local actors, led by Gugun Kipgen as Boong.
The film had its world premiere in the Discovery section of the Toronto International Film Festival on September 5, 2024, before releasing in Indian theatres in 2025.
More than a label
Following her BAFTA win, Devi was celebrated as a “Northeastern Filmmaker”- but she firmly refused to accept it. “There have been too many boxes that I have put into, coming from the Northeast to being a woman,” she said at a press conference. “But I was never looking at myself like that.” She prefers to be seen simply as a filmmaker one whose stories tells the real beauty of Northeast.
Lakshmipriya Devi walked into the 2026 BAFTA ceremony as a first – time director and left as a part of history- the first Indian filmmaker to win the Children’s and Family Film award in London.
