BAFTA-winning Manipuri-language film “Boong” has been set as the opening night selection for the 2026 New York Indian Film Festival, which runs May 28–31 in New York City, with a 4K-restored presentation of Bollywood classic “Sholay” leading off the event at a gala preview night on May 28.
The restored “Sholay” print will be screened with its original ending. Director Laksmipriya Devi will attend the May 29 opening night screening of “Boong” and take part in a post-screening discussion. Set in Manipur, the film follows a young boy seeking to bring his absent father home, threading themes of longing, identity and fractured family life through the landscape of a border town.
“With ‘Boong,’ we are opening the festival with a lovely film that blends humor and struggle in a rarely visited part of India,” said Aseem Chhabra, festival director of NYIFF. “It is authentic, rooted, and internationally recognized – exactly the kind of cinema NYIFF champions. The film won a BAFTA award beating two major contenders produced by Disney.”
The festival’s centerpiece slot will go to the world premiere of “Flowers of Acacia,” screening May 30. The Punjabi-language film is the second feature from Punjab-based filmmaker Anmol Sidhu, whose debut was “Jaggi,” and is presented by Shonali Bose. The film trains its lens on the grip of patriarchal custom in Indian society.
Also on the special nights slate is a 25th anniversary screening of “Dil Chahta Hai,” Farhan Akhtar‘s directorial debut, and long considered a touchstone of contemporary urban Hindi cinema.
The festival closes May 31 with the New York premiere of “Tighee” (Motherhood), a Marathi-language film directed by first-time filmmaker Jeejivisha Kale and produced by Indian National Film Award-winning director Nikhil Mahajan, whose credits include “Godavari” and “Raavsaheb.” Lead actors Nehha Pendse and Sonalee Kulkarni are both expected to attend. The film centers on two sisters, long estranged, who are drawn back together by a family crisis, unearthing questions of sacrifice, obligation and the weight of unresolved history.
“Closing the festival with ‘Tighee’ is incredibly special,” said Suman Gollamudi, Indo-American Arts Council executive director. “It is a film of rare emotional intelligence – intimate, powerful, and deeply human – leaving audiences with a sense of reflection and connection.”
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