Boong, a 2024 Manipuri film backed by Farhan Akhtar and Ritesh Sidhwani’s Excel Entertainment, has been selected as the spotlight film of the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne (IFFM) 2025, where it will be screened on August 18, the organisers recently announced.
“This year’s Centrepiece Spotlight at IFFM is Boong, a powerful Manipuri film that deserves your full attention,” wrote the organisers alongside a poster of the film on X.
Starring Gugun Kipgen and Bala Hijam in the lead roles, the film is written and directed by Lakshmipriya Devi. Boong marks Devi’s directorial debut.
Vikesh Bhutani, Alan McAlex, and Shujaat Saudagar also serve as producers of the film, which had its world premiere at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival under the Discovery section. The film was certified by CBFC with a "U" certificate in 2025.
Devi is known for her work as an assistant director on films like Luck by Chance, Talaash, PK and Mira Nair’s series A Suitable Boy.
“We are thrilled to present the world premiere of Boong as this year’s Spotlight Film. It’s a story that is as bold as it is intimate, and Lakshmipriya Devi’s debut is a powerful reminder of the extraordinary talent working behind the scenes in Indian cinema,” said festival director Mitu Bhowmick Lange to news agency PTI.
"IFFM has always been committed to championing new voices, and Boong is exactly the kind of story that resonates globally — deeply rooted in its context yet universally human in its emotion," she added.
Founded in 2010, the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne is the largest Indian film festival held outside of India. It is also the only film festival officially supported by a foreign government—the Government of Victoria, Australia.
The 16th edition of the festival will begin on August 14 and conclude on August 24.