NYIFF2026 - Opening Night Film - BAFTA winner Boong

A young schoolboy in Manipur embarks on a journey to search for his father.

• Opening Night Reception & Red Carpet Access at 6:00 PM
  (Enjoy exclusive early access to watch the Red Carpet one hour before the screening.)
• Post screening Q&A with director Lakshmipriya Devi in attendance.

Boong

Director: Lakshmipriya Devi
Starring: Gugun, Sanamatum, Bala Hijam
Run time: 1 hour 33 Mins
Language: Manipuri

Synopsis:

In the valley of Manipur, Boong (a little boy) plans to surprise his mother with a gift. In his innocence, he believes that bringing his absentee father back home would be the most special gift.

At the core, Boong’s world is a triangle.At the base is Mandakini, his fiery, protective mother.The short perpendicular line is his Marwari best friend Raju Agarwal, who is considered an ‘outsider’.The hypotenuse is his father, Joykumar, who unwittingly shapes his son’s world from faraway Moreh – a border town between India and Myanmar.

Boong’s search for his father disintegrates his world but culminates into an unexpected gift….

Lakshmipriya Devi always wanted to tell stories, but chose never to direct one if the story did not come from within. That story organically emerged while seeking closure from an uncomfortable part of her childhood, in Manipur – a place called ‘home’, in the north eastern corner of India.

A graduate in Economics Honours (Miranda House) and a post graduate in Mass Communications (MCRC, Jamia), she has drawn from her experience as a First Assistant Director in landmark Indian productions such as Luck by Chance, Talaash, PK, A Suitable Boy etc. to make her directorial debut with ‘Boong’.