Bhubaneswar: The winners of the 35th and 36th State Film Awards for the years 2023 and 2024 respectively were announced today at the Sanskruti Bhawan conference hall in Bhubaneswar.
Minister for Odia Language, Literature and Culture, Shri Suryabanshi Suraj, declared the names of all the winners during a press conference.Secretary of Odia Language, Literature and Culture Department Dr. Bijay Ketan Upadhyaya and Jury Chairman Shri Pranab Das was present.
The State Film Award presentation ceremony is scheduled to take place on June 26, where talents selected in various categories will be honored. This includes the Mohan Sundar Dev Goswami Award, the highest accolade for lifetime achievement in the film industry.
For lifetime achievement, Shyamalendu Bhattacharya has been chosen for the year 2023, while Namrata Das will receive the prestigious award for 2024. In the Best Film category, Pushkara and My Sweet House Wife have been jointly selected for 2023, while Ashram has bagged the top honor for 2024.
Harihar Mohapatra (2023) and Babushaan (2024) have been named Best Actor. For Best Actress, Naina Dash Tiwari and Supriya Nayak have been jointly selected for 2023, and Debayani Deghuria has won the award for 2024. The Best Director award will be given to Pinaki Singh and Shishir Kumar Sahu for 2023, and to Ashok Pati for 2024. The state film awards will be presented across 31 different categories for both years.
While announcing the awards, Culture Minister Suryabanshi Suraj extended his congratulations to all the winners. He stated that the State Film Awards will certainly provide encouragement for producing high-quality, value-based, and socially relevant films in the Odia language. He added that these awards will play a major role in the growth and prosperity of the Odia film industry.
A jury committee, chaired by eminent filmmaker Pranab Das, was formed to finalize the winners for the 35th and 36th State Film Awards. The press conference was attended by Special Secretary Deba Prasad Dash, and Odisha Sahitya Akademi Secretary Dr. Chandra Sekhar Hota.