VIJAYAWADA: Minister for Cinematography Kandula Durgesh has announced that the coalition government is committed to the development of the Telugu film industry in the State and will launch initiatives from April. On Tuesday, he felicitated the winners of the AP Short Film Festival - 2026 in Amaravati.
The Minister specially congratulated young directors, technical experts, and actors who produced socially conscious short films. He also praised festival organiser and filmmaker Dilip Raja for successfully conducting the event in Tenali on January 11 without any entry fees, encouraging aspiring artists across AP.
A total of 203 short films and over 2,000 actors participated statewide. The first prize went to Chandrasekhar Shakunala from Vizag for Mahavruksham, second to Srinivas Rao from Srikakulam for Simhadri Appanna, and the third to Naveen Kumar from Palakollu for Abaddam versus Nijam, each receiving Rs 1 lakh. Durgesh honoured the best actors, character actors, young talents, debut directors, and script reviewers.
Dilip Raja said government encouragement inspires AP youth to create wonders, and the festival has instilled new enthusiasm and determination among the winners to achieve greater heights in cinema.