Team Goemkarponn
Panaji: The curtain came down on the 10th, 11th and 12th editions of the Goa State Film Festival 2025 with a grand closing ceremony at Kala Academy on Sunday, August 17. The event was graced by Chief Minister Dr. Pramod Sawant, Siolim MLA and Vice Chairperson of ESG Delilah M. Lobo, film personality and former ESG Vice Chairman Damu Naik, ESG CEO Ashwin Chandru (IAS), Director of Information and Publicity Dipak Bandekar, along with several dignitaries and film fraternity members.
Welcoming the guests and audience, Delilah Lobo underlined the festival’s role in celebrating Goan cinema and nurturing talent. The highlight of the evening was the Lifetime Achievement Award presented to renowned Goan actress, singer, model and social worker Varsha Usgaonkar for her remarkable contribution to Hindi, Marathi and Konkani cinema. The festival also recognised the legacy of Late Baba Naik for his invaluable contribution to Goan cinema.
The jury members of both feature and non-feature film categories were felicitated, while the best films across the three editions of the festival were announced:
• 10th Edition (2018–2019): Best Feature Film – Juze (14 awards)
• 11th Edition (2020–2021): Best Film – Ransaavat (7 awards); Best Non-Feature Film – Kupamcho Daryeo (5 awards)
• 12th Edition (2022–2023): Best Feature Film – Mog (8 awards); Best Non-Feature Film – Gathan (3 awards)
The 48-Hour Short Film Competition saw young filmmakers showcase their creativity. Ful ani Savli (Flower and Shade) dominated the contest, bagging the first prize for Best Film along with awards for Best Director (Glen Cardozo), Best Cinematographer (Tejas V. Naik), Best Editor (Yuri B. Carvalho), and Best Actress (Rati Bhatikar). The second prize for Best Film went to Before Sunrise. Best Actor (Male) was awarded to Niraj Arrie for Lift.
Awards were presented by Chief Minister Dr. Sawant, Delilah Lobo, Ashwin Chandru, Dipak Bandekar, along with jury chairpersons Gajendra Ahire (Feature Film) and Asim Sinha (Non-Feature Film).
The ceremony was further enlivened by enthralling performances from celebrated Goan singer Sonia Sirsat, singer Ajit Parab, Marathi stage stars Bharat & More of Chala Hawa Yeu Dya fame, and Vardhan and his troupe. The evening concluded with a vote of thanks delivered by Dipak Bandekar.
The Goa State Film Festival 2025 witnessed overwhelming participation and appreciation from stakeholders across the Goan film industry, reaffirming its status as a premier platform to celebrate and promote regional cinema.
