Iconic character Paddington Bear presented the Best Children and Family Film category to the first Indian Manipuri movie “Boong” at the 79th BAFTA Awards in London Sunday night.
The Royal Festival Hall erupted in excitement as the bear waddled out to the podium in his classic blue coat and red hat to present the best children and family film category award.
Paddington went on to mention how everyone was surprised to see him, and cleverly slipped in a joke saying, “I’m the first ever bear to present an award, and also the first presenter to get marmalade all over a BAFTA.”
Netizens exclaimed that choosing Paddington to present the award for the best children’s film category was a very fitting decision given how much the character is loved.
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While Paddington’s appearance was a sweet surprise, the evening continued to shatter long standing records and set new milestones. “Boong” made history as the first Indian film to win an award at the BAFTAs in the children and family film category. The movie is a coming-of-age film set in Manipur, India, which balances the innocence of childhood with the complex realities of life in a conflict-prone region. It is being hailed as a watershed moment because while many individual Indians like A.R. Rahman have been nominated before, this win highlights a regional victory that reflects real life. It is the first film in this particular category to take home the trophy despite competition from massive Hollywood blockbusters such as “Zootopia 2” and the live-action “Lilo & Stitch.”
Between the winning film centered around the hope of a young boy’s search for his mother and the presenter’s film “Paddington,” following the journey of the bear finding and fitting in into his new family, the BAFTAs managed to bring the whimsicalness of the children’s category to life.
The event resulted in an unforgettable night for both India and London movie fans.