Bangladeshi feature film Jaya Aar Sharmin has won the Bimal Roy Golden Award for Best Feature Film at the 5th World Film Festival Kolkata (WFFK)
Organised by the Eastern Region of the Federation of Film Societies of India (FFSI), the international festival ran from 8 to 13 September 2026 at Nandan-III in Kolkata. The awards were presented during the closing ceremony on Sunday evening.
Jaya Aar Sharmin producer Abu Shahed Emon expressed gratitude for the recognition and for the warm response the film received from critics, filmmakers and audiences at the festival. He described the award as an encouraging achievement for the film’s entire cast and crew, as well as for Bangladeshi cinema on the international stage.
Bangladesh received another honour at the festival when Mamun – In Praise of Shadows, directed by Makbul Chowdhury, received the Jury Mention in the Documentary category.
The festival presented 38 films over six days, with 19 international titles selected for the feature-film competition. The participating films represented Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka, Iran, Spain, Germany, Costa Rica, Portugal, Brazil, Venezuela and Uzbekistan.
The awards were decided by a three-member jury comprising Professor Ujjal Chakraborty, Dr. Rita Dutta and Dr. Pradeep Kenchanuru.
In the feature-film category, Jaya Aar Sharmin, directed by Piplu R Khan, received the Bimal Roy Golden Award for Best Feature Film. India’s Assamese-language film River Tales, directed by Pankaj Borah, won the Bimal Roy Silver Award for Second Best Feature Film, while Sri Lankan film Pantrum, directed by Nadie Wasalamudaliarachchi, received the Jury Mention for Feature Film.
In the documentary category, Dolls Don’t Die – Putulnama, directed by Ranajit Ray, won the Harisadhan Dasgupta Golden Award for Best Documentary. River Still Flows, directed by Dip Bhuyan, received the Harisadhan Dasgupta Silver Award for Second Best Documentary, while Mamun – In Praise of Shadows received the Jury Mention.
In the short-fiction category, The Tale of Katha, directed by Dr. Dhritisree Sarkar, won the Chidananda Dasgupta Golden Award for Best Short Fiction. Iranian film Suddenly Rise, directed by Mohammad Sajad Motaharizadeh, received the Chidananda Dasgupta Silver Award for Second Best Short Fiction.
Directed by Piplu R Khan, Jaya Aar Sharmin is an 86-minute Bengali-language psychological drama set during the pandemic lockdown. The film explores the changing relationship between Jaya, an actress played by Jaya Ahsan, and Sharmin, her domestic aide portrayed by theatre actor Mohsina Akhter. As the two women remain confined under the same roof, their relationship reveals complex layers of isolation, emotional dependence, class and power.
Jaya Aar Sharmin has already received recognition for both its direction and performances. Piplu R Khan won the Critics’ Choice Award for Best Director in the feature-film category at the Meril–Prothom Alo Awards 2025. Mohsina Akhter was also honoured with the Best Breakthrough Performance (Film) award at the Global Star Award 2025, Season 3, for her portrayal of Sharmin.
The film was jointly produced by Abu Shahed Emon under Golpo Rajjo Films, Jaya Ahsan under C Te Cinema, and Piplu R Khan under Applebox Films.
