BAFTA deletes Lakshmipriya Devi's speech, restores it after backlash
At this year's BAFTAs, Manipuri film Boong made history by winning Best Children's and Family Film.
But things got tense when director Lakshmipriya Devi's acceptance speech—where she thanked BAFTA for "giving our very small film such big love" and spoke about her home state Manipur's struggles—was quietly deleted from BAFTA's social media.
Fans and activists called out the move as "cultural erasure," pushing for the speech to be restored.
Why was the speech deleted?
After seeing the speech disappear online, people like activist Binalakshmi Nepram urged BAFTA to reinstate it, calling its removal a blow to Indigenous voices.
Filmmaker Onir also questioned why there was no explanation from BAFTA.
Following all the outcry, BAFTA reuploaded Devi's speech—but still hasn't shared why it was taken down in the first place.
The whole episode has sparked new conversations about representation at global awards shows.