Hyderabad, April 22
The Telangana government said on Tuesday that the Gaddar Telangana Film Awards will be presented on June 14.
Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka told the curtain raiser ceremony here that the state government will promote both Telugu and Urdu films.
With the curtain raiser ceremony, the jury evaluation process has formally commenced for the awards instituted by the state government in the name of revolutionary poet and balladeer Gaddar, who passed away in 2023.
Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy last year announced that Nandi awards for excellence in Telugu cinema will be revived and renamed after Gaddar.
The awards have been revived after a gap of 14 years.
The state government said that the awards are its commitment to recognise and promote cinematic excellence and celebrate Telangana's vibrant cultural identity, and support the creative community.
State Cinematography Minister Komatireddy Venkat Reddy, Telangana Film Development Corporation (TGFDC) Chairman Dil Raju, veteran actress Jayasudha, who heads the jury, were present at the curtain raiser ceremony.
The official entries and nominations comprising 76 film submissions and 1,172 individual applications were ceremoniously handed over to the jury chairperson to Jayasudha.
This symbolic handover marks the beginning of the jury's intensive review and selection process to identify and honour the most outstanding cinematic contributions from Telangana across a wide array of categories, including feature films, documentaries, technical excellence, and special performances.
Gaddar Telangana Film Awards (GTFA) aims to honour and celebrate the cinematic brilliance of Telugu filmmakers and artists over the past decade.
The event marks the first official state-level film awards since the formation of Telangana, putting an end to the long pause since the last Nandi Awards were presented in the erstwhile united Andhra Pradesh in 2011.
In August last year, the state government had formed a committee under the leadership of acclaimed filmmaker B. Narsing Rao to frame the guidelines for the awards.
Last month, the government asked the Telangana Film Development Corporation to host the grand event.
Applications were invited for films certified by the Censor Board in 2024, across 11 dynamic categories, including Feature Films (Telugu and Urdu), National Integration Films, Children's Films, Environmental, Heritage and Historical Films, Debut Directors, Comprehensive Entertainers, Animation, VFX, Documentaries, Short Films Best Performances and Technical Excellence.
A total of 76 film submissions and 1,172 individual nominations were received.
The government through an order dated April 11, constituted a 15-member jury, chaired by Jayasudha to ensure a fair and distinguished selection process.
The ceremony will also feature the conferring of special lifetime achievement awards to legends of Indian cinema.
The ceremony will also see the presentation of awards like NTR National Film Award, Paidi Jairaj Film Award, B.N. Reddy Film Award, Nagi Reddy and Chakrapani Film Award, Kantha Rao Film Award and Raghupathi Venkaiah Film Award.
The awards will felicitate one outstanding Telugu film per year certified from 2014 to 2023, paying homage to a decade of cinematic milestones.
- IANS
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