Bhubaneswar: The grand 11th Film Awards Festival hosted by the Odisha Cine Workers’ Association was held in full splendor at Jayadev Bhawan, Bhubaneswar on Thursday.
The vibrant festival witnessed the enthusiastic participation of over a thousand artistes and cultural figures from across the state.The event was graced by several dignitaries including Babu Singh, MLA of Ekamra-Bhubaneswar; Dushmant Swain, MLA of Khandapada; Manoranjan Dyan Samantara, MLA of Chikiti; and Bishwaranjan Badajena, BJP President of Khordha district.
Among the prominent cultural personalities present were veteran actor Harihar Mohapatra, actress Ananya Mishra, music director Prashant Padhi, actress Pallabi Priyadarshini Nath, director Kunal Pattnaik, singer Soujanya Rath, actress Manisha Manjari Mishra, poet Dr. Artatran Sahu, social worker Vijay Kumar Jena, Hemanta Kumar Samantray, media planner Pranaya Jethi, Lakshmipriya Panda and Dr. Bandana Harichandan.
The event was inaugurated with a welcome address by the association’s editor Dr. Purna Chandra Behera.
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A special literary segment included the unveiling of the poetry collection “Prema Mandakini” by poet Nilamani Sethi, published by Megha Mahllara Publications.
A highlight of the event was the felicitation of 150 outstanding artistes from various corners of Odisha — including Kalahandi, Balangir, Boudh, Phulbani, Koraput, Malkangiri, Khordha, Puri, Cuttack, Nayagarh, Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapara, and Dhenkanal — for their exemplary contributions to their respective fields.
Awards of excellence were presented to Aarti Behera as Best Teacher, Jitendra Kumar Sahu and Saroj Kumar Muduli as Best Journalists, and Vijay Kumar Jena as Best Social Worker.
The seamless execution of the programme was made possible by the dedicated efforts of organizers Om Prakash Mahadev, Chandan Biswal, Shibu, Bikash, and Neelamadhab, with Dr. Rinabala Sahu coordinating the event.
The festival stood as a proud celebration of Odisha’s rich cultural heritage, bringing together talent, recognition, and the spirit of artistic unity under one roof.
