Manipuri Film Boong Wins Big At New York Indian Film Festival 2026, Takes Home Three Awards

Manipuri film Boong had a successful outing at the New York Indian Film Festival (NYIFF) 2026, winning three major awards at the event held from May 28 to May 31 in New York.

Directed by Lakshmipriya Devi, Boong won Best Debut Film, while Lakshmipriya Devi received the Best Director award. Young actor Gugun Kipgen was honoured with the Best Child Actor award for his performance in the film.

The film has already been in the spotlight this year after becoming the first Manipuri film to win a BAFTA in the Children’s and Family category earlier in 2026.

While Boong was the biggest winner of the evening, Bengali film Baksho Bondi took home the festival’s top honour, winning Best Film.

Other winners included Nikhil Yadav, who won Best Actor for Vimukt, and Meenakshi Jayan, who received Best Actress for Victoria. The Best Screenplay award went to writers Nikhil Mahajan and Prajakt Deshmukh for Tighee.

In the documentary categories, Deja Vu won Best Documentary Feature, while Waai received Best Documentary Short. Jo’s Turn won the award for Best Narrative Short.

This year’s festival featured films in 15 Indian languages, highlighting the growing reach of regional cinema beyond India. The lineup included 19 feature films, four documentaries and 27 short films, along with a special LGBTQ-focused shorts programme.

The festival opened with a screening of Boong and also showcased a restored 4K version of the classic Hindi film Sholay.

Speaking about the festival, Aseem Chhabra said the selected films reflected the range of stories being told in India today, from personal dramas and comedies to stories exploring the experiences of younger generations.

For Manipuri cinema, Boong’s success marks another important international milestone. After its BAFTA win earlier this year, the film has now added three more international awards to its journey, bringing further attention to stories coming from Northeast India.