It’s the greatest feeling: Neel Soni on making BAFTA Student Awards longlist
Filmmaker Neel Soni's film Babli By Night makes the BAFTA 2025 Student Awards longlist, marking a significant achievement as he is the only Indian on the list
Filmmaker Neel Soni is in “disbelief” after his film Babli By Night made the British Academy Film Awards’ (BAFTA) 2025 Student Awards longlist.
Neel, the son of designer Ashish Soni, is the only Indian filmmaker on the list. He tells us, “To have my film represent me and my country on such a big stage, it’s the greatest feeling I’ve ever had in my life. Words cannot explain how grateful and honoured I am.”
Babli By Night tells the story of transgender forest guard Babban battling an unexpected HIV diagnosis and was listed in the Documentary category. The 23-year old explains that he hadn’t originally intended for the film to tackle gender identity. “I didn’t really go out seeking to make a film about the transgender community. I’ve known Babban for a long time, and hence this story about Nature healing the human mind came about,” he says, adding, “The film has reached the BAFTA’s final 20 in documentary from over a 1,000 entries. I never thought I’d be here when this began five years ago. I have so much love and gratitude for everyone who supported me on this journey.”
An ecstatic Neel also feels that Indian filmmakers have been making their mark globally. “I feel there is a renaissance of Indian filmmakers globally; it’s amazing,” he muses.
Are there any Indian filmmakers he draws inspiration from for his own work? Neel replies, “(Filmmaker) Zoya Akhtar inspires me. Her work is absolutely incredible. She has this beautiful ability to bridge mainstream cinema with deep, impactful storytelling; that’s a very difficult thing to do. ”
While he’s currently in talks about film distribution, Neel shares that the film will screen at the New York Film Festival in June. “We’re organising screenings at various film festivals around the world and hope to soon release on OTT,” he signs off.
