The 54th Kerala State Film Awards were announced on Friday. Saji Cherian, the Minister of Cultural Affairs, announced the winners in a press meet held in Thiruvananthapuram. 160 films were submitted for the competition, out of which 35 were selected for the final round. Hindi filmmaker Sudhir Mishra headed the jury, which also included directors Priyanandanan and Lijo Jose Pellissery, cinematographer Alagappan N, writer N S Madhavan, actor Ann Augustine, composer Sreevalsan J Menon and C Ajoy.
While Prithviraj Sukumaran bagged his third Best Actor (Male) award for Aadujeevitham, Urvashi and Beena R Chandran shared the Best Actor (Female) award for their performances in Ullozhukku and Thadavu, respectively. Kaathal was chosen as the Best Film, and Blessy was selected as the Best Director for Aadujeevitham, which won a total of 9 awards.
Here's the full list of winners:
Best Film – Kaathal
Best Second Film – Iratta
Best Film with Popular Appeal and Aesthetic Value – Aadujeevitham
Best Actor (Male) – Prithviraj Sukumaran (Aadujeevitham)
Best Actor (Female) – Urvashi (Ullozhukku) and Beena R Chandran (Thadavu)
Best Director – Blessy (Aadujeevitham)
Special Jury Award (Acting) – KR Gokul (Aadujeevitham), Sudhi Kozhikode (Kaathal) and Krishnan (Jaivam)
Special Award in any Category for Women/ Transgender – Shalini Ushadevi (Ennennum)
Special Jury Mention (Film) - Gaganachari
Best Story – Adarsh Sukumaran (Kaathal)
Best Screenplay (Original) – Rohith MG Krishnan (Iratta)
Best Screenplay (Adapted) – Blessy (Aadujeevitham)
Best Debutant Director – Fazil Razak (Thadavu)
Best Character Actor (Male) – Vijayaraghavan (Pookkalam)
Best Character Actor (Female) – Sreeshma Chandran (Pombalai Orumai)
Best Editor – Sangeeth Prathap (Little Miss Rawther)
Best Cinematography – Sunil KS (Aadujeevitham)
Best Music Composer – Justin Varghese ('Chenthamara' from Chaaver)
Best Background Music – Mathews Pulickan (Kaathal - The Core)
Best Singer (Male) - Vidhyadharan Master ('Pathiranennorthoru Kinavil' from Jananam 1947 Pranayam Thudarunnu)
Best Playback Singer (Female) – Anne Amie ('Thinkal Poovin' from Pachuvum Athbutha Vilakkum)
Best Lyrics – Hareesh Mohanan (Chenthamara Poovil - Chaaver)
B
Best Child Artist (Male) – Avyukth Menon (Pachuvum Athbutha Vilakkum)
Best Child Artist (Female) – Thennal Abhilash (Shesham Mikeil Fathima)
Best Sound Designing – Jayadevan Chakkadath, Anil Radhakrishnan (Ullozhukku)
Best Sound Mixing – Resul Pookutty, Sharath Mohan (Aadujeevitham)
Best Sync Sound – Shameer Ahammed (O Baby)
Best Laboratory/ Colourist - Vyashak Sivaganesh (Aadujeevitham)
Best Dubbing Artist (Male) – Sumangala (Jananam 1947 Pranayam Thudarunnu)
Dubbing Artist (Male) - Roshan Mathew (Ullozhukku and Valatti)
Best Dubbing Artist (Female) – Sumangala (Jananam 1947 Pranayam Thudarunnu)
Best Choreography – Jishnu (Sulaikha Manzil)
Best Makeup – Ranjith Ambady (Aadujeevitham)
Best Costume – Femina Jabbar (O Baby)
Best Visual Effects - Andrew Dcruz and Vishak Babu (2018 - Everyone Is a Hero)
Best Art Direction – Mohandas (2018 - Everyone Is A Hero)