The National Film Awards for 2007 was announced on Monday and while the films from the south bagged all the major awards, movies from Calcutta did feature big time.

Rituparno Ghosh’s The Last Lear, which was shot in Calcutta, won the Best Feature Film in English. The citation described Lear as “a brilliant and visually stunning work of cinema on the life of a reclusive Shakespearean actor, well past his prime. His whimsical and passionate persona makes him a memorable and loveable character”.

The film also won Shefali Shah (in picture top) the Best Supporting Actress Award, the jury describing the performance as “a smouldering portrayal of a woman dealing with her intense relationship with an older man with a towering personality”.

The Best Costume award went to Ruma Sengupta for her work in Krishnakanter Will, featuring Swastika Mukherjee and Jeet. The citation read: “For creating realistic characters during that historic period when lavish costumes and colourful court life, were the order of the day.”

The Best Feature Film in Bengali went to Ballygunge Court. Directed by Pinaki Chaudhuri, Ballygunge Court revolves around ageing couples who are deserted by their children in search of a better life abroad. It stars Soumitra Chatterjee, Mamata Shankar, Sabyasachi Chakraborty and Tanushree Shankar among others.

The Best Non-Feature Film went to Supriyo Sen’s Hope Dies Last in War and the Best First Non-Feature Film went to Shweta Merchant’s Lal Juto, produced by SRFTI.