Has BAFTA removed 'Boong' director Laskhmipriya Devi's winning speech on Manipur? Here's what we know

‘Boong’ director Laskhmipriya Devi’s winning speech at the recently held BAFTA Awards moved many. Hailing from Manipur, the filmmaker’s emotional acceptance speech, where she spoke about the long-ignored conflict in her home state, resonated deeply, turning her into one of the most talked-about voices of the evening. But social media users have observed the speech has disappeared from the handles of BAFTA.

With her win, Lakshmipriya became one of the first Indian filmmakers from the Northeast to claim a BAFTA, marking a watershed moment for regional storytelling on the global stage.

Manipuri activist Binalakshmi Nepram breaks silence

The activist tweeted- “Dear @BAFTA did you remove the acceptance speech of an Indigenous Woman Director of award winning film from Manipur, BOONG, from your social media accounts @X & Instagram?”

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“If yes, erasure of the acceptance speech of Director is tantamount to cultural erasure of Indigenous Peoples & women’s voices & must be reinstated immediately. Inclusion and not erasure of our voices and our stories is the way forward.”

What the filmmaker said in her speech

“Thank you to the jury members and BAFTA for giving our very small film such big love, a film that is rooted in a very troubled, very much ignored and very underrepresented in India, my homeland, Manipur. It’s a homage to my homeland,” said Devi.”

She added, “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.”

Who is Lakshmipriya Devi?

Lakshmipriya Devi is an independent filmmaker, writer and director from Manipur, known for her socially conscious storytelling and focus on underrepresented communities. Before stepping into feature films, she built a strong reputation through short films and documentaries that explored identity, memory, displacement and political conflict.