The Bhojpuri Film awards will be held at the Goregaon Sports Club here on February 16 next year.

This was announced at a press conference on Saturday night which was jointly addressed by Union Minister Subodh Kant Sahai, MLA Kripa Shankar Singh, yesteryear actress Kum Kum, Mr Vinod Gupta, and, Bollywood actor and Lok Sabha MP Govinda, who will be the brand ambassador for the awards.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr Gupta pointed out that although the first Bhojpuri film was made in 1962, there had been no awards for these films. The awards were instituted in 2005 with the blessings of thespian Dilip Kumar and Saira Banu.

KumKum hoped that Bhojpuri technicians, too, would be rewarded for their work and be nominated in categories.

Mr Sahai said, ''The impact of culture and language is so strong that it touches ones heart. It is good that Bhojpuri films are being feted. Better late than never.''