OIFF 2026 Honours Excellence in Cinema at Grand Ceremony in Bhubaneswar

Bhubaneswar: The Ollywood International Film Festival (OIFF) 2026 was held at Jayadev Bhawan in Bhubaneswar on Sunday, bringing together filmmakers and cinema professionals from across India for a celebration of excellence in filmmaking.

The festival witnessed the participation of film producers, directors, screenplay writers, concept creators, actors, actresses, storytellers, cinematographers, makeup artists and several other members of the film fraternity. A total of 70 artists and technicians were honoured with awards across various categories for their outstanding contributions to cinema.

Ekamra MLA Babu Singh attended the event as the chief guest, while senior BJP leader Golak Prasad Mahapatra graced the occasion as the guest of honour.

Among the major winners, “Pani”, written and produced by Arun Maharana, received the Best Environmental Short Film in Odia award. Jijnasa Anwesh was honoured for “Once Odia.” The Telugu short film “Maa Illu” won the award for Best Telugu Short Film.

Anwar Azad was named Best Director for the Hindi film “Khelunga,” while Damaraju Janaki Rani received the Best Producer award for the Telugu film “I Love Geetha.”
The Best Social Short Film award went to “Nigha,” directed by Murari Prasad Sahu, while Manmaya De and team were recognised for their film “Pauruti.” The Odia film “Mo Gaanku Rasta Nahin” was adjudged the Best Drama Film.

The festival celebrated cinematic excellence across multiple Indian languages and provided a platform to honour filmmakers and technicians whose work has made significant contributions to independent and regional cinema.