Mumbai, Feb 23: The Manipuri-language film “Boong” backed by Farhan Akhtar won the prestigious Best Children’s & Family Film award at the 79th British Academy Film Awards (BAFTA). It’s director Lakshmipriya Devi described the moment as “the last few steps to reach a summit of a mountain we never knew we were climbing in the first place.”
Boong was competing alongside international titles such as Arco, Lilo & Stitch, and Zootropolis 2.
The official Instagram page of BAFTA shared a video of Lakshmipriya Devi accepting the honour. She began with “Kurumjari”, a traditional greeting.
She added: “The walk up till here felt like the last few steps to reach a summit of a mountain we never knew we were climbing in the first place. So thank you to the jury members and BAFTA for giving our very small film such big love.”
The director underscored that the film is deeply rooted in his homeland, Manipur, a region he described as troubled, ignored and underrepresented in India.
“A film that is not only rooted in a place which is very troubled, very much ignored and very unrepresented in India, my homeland, Manipur. It’s a homage to my homeland. So I just want to use this opportunity to say that we pray for peace to return to Manipur,” Devi said.
She also expressed hope that internally displaced children, including the young actors who featured in the film, would regain their joy, innocence, and dreams.
“We pray that all the internally displaced children, including the child actors in the film, regain their joy, their innocence, and their dream once again. We pray that no conflict is ever formidable enough to destroy the one superpower,” she concluded.
Boong stars Gugun Kipgen, Bala Hijam, Angom Sanamatum, Vikram Kochhar, Nemetia Ngangbam, Jenny Khurai, and Hamom Sadananda. The film had its world premiere at the Discovery section of the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival on 5 September 2024.
It tells the story of a young boy’s heartfelt quest to reunite his family in the backdrop of social tensions in Manipur.
–IANS