With a total of 15 awards, Big Banner Entertainment and Media LLP represents a proud moment for Goan cinema
The 10th, 11th, and 12th editions of the Goa State Film Festival came to a fitting close on 17th August 2025 with a grand ceremony at Kala Academy, Panaji, marking 75 glorious years of Goan cinema. The evening was graced by Dr Pramod Sawant, Chief Minister of Goa, along with an esteemed gathering that included Delilah M. Lobo, MLA, Siolim Constituency & Vice Chairperson of ESG; Damu Naik, film personality, State BJP Chief and Ex Vice Chairman of ESG; Ashwin Chandru, IAS, CEO of ESG; Dipak Bandekar, Director, Department of Information & Publicity, and several other dignitaries.
The celebration also honoured cinematic legacy, with the Lifetime Achievement Award being conferred on Varsha Usgaonkar, the renowned actress, singer, model, and social worker, for her remarkable contributions to Hindi, Marathi, and Konkani cinema. The Recognition of Goan Film Legacy was posthumously awarded to Late Baba Naik for his invaluable service to Goan cinema as Goa’s foremost Line Producer. The award was received by his son Shiva Baba Naik who has carried on his father’s legacy.
Jury members of feature and non-feature films were also felicitated for their work in judging and selecting the best films, cast and crew over the three editions.
The festival recognised and awarded some of Goa’s best films: Juze (14 awards, Best Feature Film, 10th edition, 2018–2019); Ransaavat (7 awards, Best Feature Film, 11th edition, 2020–2021); Kupamcho Daryeo (5 awards, Best Non-Feature Film, 2020–2021); and Gathan (3 awards, Best Non-Feature Film, 12th edition, 2022–2023). For the current season, the 12th edition’s Best Feature Film honour was bestowed upon #MOG! (Konkani); which secured 8 awards, produced by Big Banner Entertainment and Media LLP. Among the prominent winners at this year’s Goa State Film Festival was Big Banner Entertainment and Media LLP, a production house founded by Deepak Bandekar with the vision of empowering Goan youth and creating world-class cinema. With two acclaimed Konkani films – Pedru Poder and #MOG! – the studio bagged a remarkable 15 awards in total.
For Pedru Poder, the honours included Best Dialogues (Jojo Dsouza & Christ Silva); Best Actress (Suman Veronica Fernandes); Best Music Director, Best Playback Singer, Best Lyrics (Elick Vaz); Best Art Director (Ankita Dsouza), and Best Editor (Sapna Naik). Meanwhile, #MOG! excelled with Best Film, Best Audiography (Taran Dsouza); Best Actor – Special Jury Award (Manoj Joshi); Best Playback Singer – Female (Sonia Shirsat); Best Playback Singer – Male (Rajesh Madgaonkar); Best Director – Special Jury Award (Nilesh Malkar); Best Music Director – Special Jury Award (Denis Vallaban A.); and Best Actress – Special Jury Award (Nakshatra Medhekar).
What makes this achievement truly remarkable is that all technical and creative work was carried out entirely in-house. Big Banner has also recently upgraded its infrastructure to global standards of excellence, establishing itself as Goa’s only globally compliant music and film production studio. Equipped with 5.1 and 5.1.2 mixing and mastering capabilities, a complete edit and DI setup, and a 4K projector for high-end screenings, the studio has already delivered award-winning music videos, short films, and ad films, earning recognition at prestigious festivals across the country.
Speaking about the achievement, Deepak Bandekar said: “These awards are a testament to the dedication and creative spirit of our team. Our vision has always been to put Goan talent on the global stage, and this recognition at the State Film Festival inspires us to dream bigger and work harder for the growth of the industry.”
As Goa celebrates 75 years of cinematic legacy, the spotlight shines brightly on Big Banner Entertainment and Media LLP, whose resounding success at the 7th Goa State Film Festival 2025 represents not just a milestone for the studio, but a proud moment for Goan cinema itself.
