Engfa Waraha (Thai: อิงฟ้า วราหะ, RTGS: Ingfa Waraha, pronounced [ʔīŋ.fáː wá(ʔ).rāː.hàʔ]; born February 15, 1995) is a Thai beauty pageant titleholder and actress. She appeared in the seventh season of The Voice Thailand. In 2022, she won Miss Grand Thailand 2022 representing Bangkok. Later that year, she represented Thailand at Miss Grand International 2022, held in Indonesia on 25 October, where she finished as first runner-up.
She made her acting debut in 2023 in the drama TV series Show Me Love, and in 2024 her film debut in The Paradise of Thorns. It won her the Best Actress of the Year award at the 2025 Thailand Box Office Awards and broke the 150M baht box office record. She was honored at the Red Sea Film Festival Foundation the Women in Cinema Gala held during the 2025 Cannes Film Festival. Her acting roles also sparked discourse around LGBTQ rights in Thailand.
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Early life and career
Engfa Waraha was born on 15 February 1995 in Uthai Thani province into a family of musicians; her father was a eyboard player and her mother was a luk thung (Thai pop-country) singer. She has two siblings.
Waraha began performing on stage at the age of six. At the age of 17, she signed a 12-year contract with the Bangkok-based artist management organ Sangravee Entertainment to pay for her father's cancer treatment, and released four singles; two in 2015 and the rest in 2016. In 2013, she met with a master of the Thai blessing ceremony Phonraphee Maneethai (Thai: พรระพี มณีไทย) who later persuaded her to study to be an officiant, and Thai verse singing (Thai: ขับเสภา) until proficient enough to be able to use it for a career. In addition, before entering the national entertainment industry, she also worked as a waitress, greengrocer, food vendor, caddie, and model.
Waraha became known as Engfa Sangravee after participating in the seventh season of the reality singing contest The Voice Thailand in 2018. She was eliminated in the second phase of the contest. Waraha has appeared in several TV and game show programs, including the situation comedy Pen Tor and Raberd Terd Terng, 123 Ranking Show, Still Standing Thailand, and Guess My Age.
Pageantry
In 2020, Waraha entered the provincial pageant, Miss Grand Suphanburi, but withdraw due to contractual problems. She won Miss Grand Bangkok 2022, and Miss Grand Thailand 2022, and was first runner-up at Miss Grand International 2022.
Recognition
Women In Cinema Spotlight
In May 2025, she was honored at the Cinema Gala, hosted by the Red Sea Film Festival Foundation during the 2025 Cannes Film Festival. Held at the Hôtel du Cap-Eden-Roc in Cap d’Antibes, the gala spotlighted seven women from the Arab world, Africa, and Asia who have made significant contributions to the film and entertainment industries.
Waraha was celebrated for her roles in the 2023 television series Show Me Love, Bangkok Blossom (2024) as Kulap and The Paradise of Thorns (2024). The Paradise of Thorns earned her the Best Actress of the Year award at the 2025 Thailand Box Office Awards, as well as runner-up for Best Actress at the 14th Thai Film Director Awards.
Filmography
Lady Bee at Cannes Film Festival 2025
In May 2025, Waraha was featured at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival, where her upcoming film Lady Bee was officially announced during the Cannes Market. Although Lady Bee was not part of the official screening line up, its unveiling generated significant buzz due to its bold narrative shift and the casting of Engfa Waraha. It directed by Rutaiwan Wongsirasawad and Thanika Jenjesda, the film is a feminist reinterpretation of The Story of Jan Dara, a Thai literary classic by Utsana Phloengtham. Waraha stars as Lady Boonleung, also known as Lady Bee, a character reimagined as the central figure in a narrative exploring identity, desire, and power.
The announcement coincided with Waraha’s recognition at the Women in Cinema Gala, hosted by the Red Sea Film Festival Foundation, which honored seven women from Asia, Africa, and the Arab world for their contributions to cinema. Lady Bee is scheduled to begin principal photography in late 2025, with a global release expected in 2026.