Did BAFTA Quietly Remove Boong Director Lakshmipriya Devi’s 'Peace For Ignored Manipur' Speech?

Manipuri film Boong scripted history at BAFTA 2026 by securing the award in the Best Children and Family Film category. The winning speech of the director British Academy of Lakshmipriya Devi at the ceremony was telecast live on TV and was shared by the organisers on their social media accounts. Social media users have now flagged Boong director Lakshmipriya Devi’s winning speech as missing from BAFTA's official handle.

In her speech, Lakshmipriya Devi dedicated the award to her homstate Manipur, describing it as a “troubled, ignored, and very unrepresented” state in India. She said, “Khurumjari! Greetings to everyone. The walk up till here felt like the last few steps to reach the 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 a big love. 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.

Sending a message on the global platform, the Boong director continued, “So, 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. So, thank you, BAFTA, for giving us not only an award but this stage to express our hope. Thank you, and have a wonderful evening, everyone.”

The video of her speech was allegedly uploaded on BAFTA's official Instagram and X (formerly Twitter) account. However, it remains unclear if the video was deliberately taken down or it was removed due to a technical glitch. BAFTA is yet to address the matter officially.