Manipuri Film ‘Boong’ Wins Three Awards at New York Indian Film Festival

PTI, June 2, 2026, New York: BAFTA-winning Manipuri film Boong took home three awards at the recently concluded New York Indian Film Festival (NYIFF), including the Best Child Actor honour for its young protagonist.

The New York Indian Film Festival 2026 concluded its four-day run on Sunday with an awards ceremony honouring the finest in Indian cinema across ten competitive categories.

The festival, held from May 28 to 31, showcased a diverse slate of films across 15 languages, underscoring the growing prominence of regional storytelling in contemporary Indian cinema. It brought together filmmakers and artists at North America’s longest-running festival dedicated to Indian independent cinema.

This year’s edition of the festival, presented by the Indo-American Arts Council (IAAC), included 19 narrative feature films, four documentary features and 27 short films, comprising both narrative and documentary categories. The programme also featured several world premieres and a special LGBTQ short films section.

Baksho Bondi won the festival’s top honour, receiving the Best Film award, while Boong emerged as the biggest winner of the evening with three awards — Best Debut Film (selected by the Film Critics Circle of India), Best Director for Lakshmipriya Devi, and Best Child Actor for Gugun Kipgen.

The film had earlier created history by winning a BAFTA award in the Best Children’s and Family Film category in February this year.

Nikhil Yadav was named Best Actor for his performance in Vimukt, while Meenakshi Jayan won the Best Actress award for Victoria.

The Best Screenplay award went to Nikhil Mahajan and Prajakt Deshmukh for Tighee.

In the non-fiction categories, Deja Vu won Best Documentary Feature and Waai claimed Best Documentary Short, while Jo's Turn won Best Narrative Short.

The festival concluded with an awards ceremony attended by members of the Indian-American community, filmmakers and cinema enthusiasts.

The festival opened on May 29 with a special screening of Boong and also showcased the 4K restored version of the classic film Sholay.

Nirmal Mattoo, Chairman of the IAAC, said before the commencement of the festival that NYIFF serves as a powerful cultural bridge.

“The 2026 line-up and nominations reaffirm our commitment to showcasing the richness, diversity and artistic excellence of Indian cinema on an international stage,” he said.

Festival Director Aseem Chhabra said the films nominated this year represented the range and depth of storytelling in India today.

“From human dramas to comedies, and narratives that reflect the concerns of Millennials and Gen Z, these works reflect a cinema that is both rooted and globally resonant,” he said.

The IAAC said NYIFF 2026 continues its dual mission of championing emerging voices while honouring cinematic excellence, reinforcing its position as a key global platform for Indian independent cinema.

Executive Director Suman Gollamudi said the festival continues to serve as a critical launchpad for independent filmmakers on the global stage and remains committed to amplifying distinctive voices across Indian cinema.