BAFTA-winning 'Boong' takes home 3 awards at NYIFF 2026
What's the story
The New York Indian Film Festival (NYIFF) 2026, which took place from May 28-31, concluded with a grand awards ceremony. The festival celebrated the best of Indian cinema across 10 competitive categories. Boong won Best Debut Film (selected by the Film Critics Circle of India), Best Director for Lakshmipriya Devi, and Best Child Actor for Gugun Kipgen.
Major winners
'Boong' and other major awardees
Boong, which made history by winning the prestigious BAFTA award in February, was the biggest winner at NYIFF. The festival's top honor went to Baksho Bondi (Shadowbox), which won Best Film. Nikhil Yadav won Best Actor for Vimukt, while Meenakshi Jayan bagged the Best Actress award for Victoria. The Best Screenplay award was given to Nikhil Mahajan and Prajakt Deshmukh for Tighee.
Additional awards
Non-fiction categories
In the non-fiction categories, Deja Vu took home the award for Best Documentary Feature, and Waai won Best Documentary Short. Jo's Turn was awarded as the Best Narrative Short. The NYIFF 2026, presented by the Indo-American Arts Council (IAAC), featured a diverse range of films in 15 languages. IAAC chairman Dr. Nirmal Mattoo said NYIFF "stands as a powerful cultural bridge."