The National Film Awards are awards for artistic and technical merit given for excellence within the Indian film industry. Established in 1954, it has been administered, along with the International Film Festival of India and the Indian Panorama, by the Indian government's Directorate of Film Festivals from 1974 (21st edition) until 2022 (68th edition), and by the NFDC since then.Official site Directorate of Film FestivalsFilm Festival
Every year, a national panel appointed by the government selects the winning entry, and the award ceremony is held in New Delhi, where the President of India presents the awards. This is followed by the inauguration of the National Film Festival, where award-winning films are screened for the public. Declared for films produced in the previous year across the country, they hold the distinction of awarding merit to the best of Indian cinema overall, as well as presenting awards for the best films in each region and language of the country.
History The Awards were first presented in 1954. The Government of India conceived the ceremony to honor films made across India, on a national scale, to encourage the furthering of Indian art and culture. From 1974 until 2022, the Indian Directorate of Film Festivals administers the ceremony along with other major film events in India annually. Since then, National Film Development Corporation of India administers the ceremony.
Juries and rules The National Film Awards are presented in two main categories: Feature Films and Non-Feature Films. The juries are appointed by the NFDC. Neither the Government nor the organization has influence over which films are selected for consideration and which films ultimately win awards. There are strict criteria as to whether a film is eligible for consideration by the jury panels. Over 100 films made across the country are entered in each category (Feature and Non-Feature) for the awards and are deemed eligible each year.
A list of rules is presented every year in a document of regulations known as the National Film Award Regulations. The criteria for eligibility contain many clauses. Among them, there is a direct requirement for the makers of a film, and particularly the director, to be Indian nationals.55th National Film Awards Regulations. Eligibility. Pages 2–3. Films entering the competition should be produced in India, and in the case of co-production involving a foreign entity, there are as many as six conditions that should be fulfilled in order for the film to qualify. According to the criteria, in order to be eligible for consideration by the jury, a film should be certified by the Central Board of Film Certification between 1 January and 31 December. Whether a film is considered a feature film or a non-feature film shall be decided by the Feature Film jury. The eligibility list includes a section of rules determining which films shall not be eligible for entry in the competition.
Awards ceremonies The "Year" in the below table corresponds to the year of the film certificate issued by the CBFC. The "Date" indicates when the awards were presented to the winners. Year Ceremony Date Best Feature Film Best Non-Feature Film1953 1st 10 October 1954 Shyamchi AaiMahabalipuram1954 2nd 21 December 1955 Mirza GhalibSpirit of the Loom1955 3rd September 1956 Pather PanchaliMagic of Mountains1956 4th 28 April 1957 KabuliwalaGotama The Buddha1957 5th 16 April 1958 Do Aankhen Barah HaathA Himalayan Tapestry1958 6th 28 April 1959 Sagar SangameyRadha Krishna1959 7th 1 May 1960 Apur SansarKathakali1960 8th 31 March 1961 AnuradhaKangra and Kulu1961 9th 21 April 1962 Bhagini NiveditaRabindranath Tagore1962 10th 21 April 1963 Dada ThakurFour Centuries Ago1963 11th 25 April 1964 Shehar Aur SapnaSong of the Snow1964 12th 31 May 1965 CharulataOne Day1965 13th 1966 ChemmeenCloven Horizon1966 14th 10 October 1967 Teesri KasamGlimpses of West Bengal1967 15th 25 November 1968 Hatey BazareyIndia '671968 16th 13 February 1970 Goopy Gyne Bagha ByneEverest1969 17th 21 November 1970 Bhuvan ShomeAmrita Sher-Gil1970 18th 1971 Samskara1971 19th 1 May 1972 SeemabaddhaBhutan1972 20th 1973 SwayamvaramThe Inner Eye1973 21st October 1974 NirmalyamThe Flame Burns Bright1974 22nd 1976 ChorusMan In Search of Man1975 23rd 1976 Chomana DudiWinged Wonderland1976 24th 1977 Mrigayaa1977 25th 27 April 1978 GhatashraddhaDeshratna Rajendra Prasad1978 26th April 1979 Rumtek - A Monastery WrethedIn A Hundred Thousand Rainbows1979 27th May 1980 Shodh1980 28th April 1981Akaler ShandhaneyDaldal1981 29th April 1982DakhalFaces After The Storm1982 30th May 1983ChokhAn Indian Story1983 31st June 1984Adi ShankaracharyaThe Procession1984 32nd June 1985DamulMusic of Satyajit Ray1985 33rd June 1986ChidambaramBombay: Our City1986 34th September 1987Tabarana KatheThe Land of Sand Dunes1987 35th April 1988Halodhia Choraye Baodhan KhaiBhopal: Beyond Genocide1988 36th 31 May 1989PiraviKanaka Purandara1989 37th May 1990Bagh BahadurAar Koto Din1990 38th 7 April 1991MarupakkamGraven Image1991 39th 6 May 1992AgantukSons of Abotani: The Misings1992 40th 4 May 1993Bhagavad GitaIn Search of Indian Theatre1993 41st 30 September 1994CharacharMaihar Raag1994 42nd 17 July 1995Unishe AprilRasayatra1995 43rd 6 August 1996KathapurushanTarana1996 44th 15 July 1997Lal DarjaSham's Vision1997 45th 10 July 1998Thaayi SahebaJataner Jami1998 46th 15 February 2000SamarIn The Forest Hangs a Bridge1999 47th 18 September 2000VanaprasthamDui Paatan Ke Beech Mein2000 48th 12 December 2001ShanthamRasikpriya2001 49th 13 February 2003DweepaSonal2002 50th 29 December 2003Mondo Meyer UpakhyanNarayan Gangaram Surve2003 51st 2 February 2005ShwaasKaya Poochhe Maya SeWar and Peace2004 52nd 21 October 2005Page 3Girni2005 53rd 14 September 2007KaalpurushRiding Solo to the Top of the World2006 54th 2 September 2008PulijanmamBishar Blues2007 55th 21 October 2009KanchivaramHope Dies Last in War2008 56th 20 March 2010AntaheenAFSPA, 19582009 57th 22 October 2010Kutty SrankThe PostmanBilal2010 58th 9 September 2011Adaminte Makan AbuGerm2011 59th 3 May 2012ByariAnd We Play OnDeool2012 60th 3 May 2013Paan Singh TomarShepherds of Paradise2013 61st 3 May 2014Ship of TheseusRangbhoomi2014 62nd 3 May 2015CourtTender Is the Sight2015 63rd 3 May 2016Baahubali: The BeginningAmdavad Ma Famous2016 64th 3 May 2017KaasavFireflies in the Abyss2017 65th 3 May 2018Village Rockstars2018 66th 23 December 2019HellaroSon RiseThe Secret Life of Frogs2019 67th 25 October 2021Marakkar: Lion of the Arabian SeaAn Engineered Dream2020 68th 30 September 2022Soorarai PottruTestimony of Ana2021 69th 17 October 2023Rocketry: The Nambi EffectEk Tha Gaon2022 70th 8 October 2024AattamAyena2023 71st 23 September 202512th FailFlowering Man2024 72nd 22 September 2026Article 370Bhangaar
Current categories The awards are categorized into three sections; Feature film, Non-feature film, and Best Writing on cinema. With each section having its individual aims, Feature Film and Non-Feature Film sections aim at encouraging the production of films of aesthetic and technical excellence and social relevance, contributing to the understanding and appreciation of cultures of different regions of the country in cinematic form, thereby promoting unity and integrity of the nation. The Best Writing on cinema section aims to encourage the study and appreciation of cinema as an art form and dissemination of information and critical appreciation of the art form through the publication of various books, articles, reviews, newspaper coverage, and studies. In addition, a lifetime achievement award, named after the father of Indian cinema Dadasaheb Phalke, is awarded to a film personality for the outstanding contribution to the growth and development of Indian Cinema.
All the award winners are awarded a Medallion, a cash prize, and a certificate of merit. The Dadasaheb Phalke Award, six categories from the Feature Films section, three from the Non-Feature Films and Best Writing on Cinema sections each have been made eligible for Swarna Kamal (Golden Lotus Award), and the rest of the categories for Rajat Kamal (Silver Lotus Award).
Lifetime Achievement +List of current Lifetime Achievement categories by year introducedYear introducedCategoryGolden Lotus (Swarna Kamal)1969Dadasaheb Phalke Award
Feature film +List of current Feature film categories by year introducedYear introducedCategoryGolden Lotus (Swarna Kamal)1953Best Feature Film1953Best Children's Film1967Best Direction1974Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment1980Best Debut Film of a Director2022Best Film in AVGC (Best Animation Film)Silver Lotus (Rajat Kamal)1954Best Bengali Feature Film1954Best Hindi Feature Film1954Best Kannada Feature Film1954Best Malayalam Feature Film1954Best Marathi Feature Film1954Best Tamil Feature Film1954Best Telugu Feature Film1955Best Assamese Feature Film1960Best Gujarati Feature Film1960Best Odia Feature Film1962Best Punjabi Feature Film1965Best Konkani Feature Film1967Best Actor in a Leading Role1967Best Actress in a Leading Role1967Best Music Direction1967Best Male Playback Singer1967Best Screenplay1967Best Cinematography1968Best Female Playback Singer1968Best Lyrics1968Best Child Artist1972Best Manipuri Feature Film1976Best Sound Design1976Best Editing1978Special Mention1979Best Production Design1984Best Actor in a Supporting Role1984Best Actress in a Supporting Role1984Best Costume Design1985Best Bodo Feature Film1991Best Choreography2006Best Make-up2016Best Stunt Choreography2022Best Feature Film Promoting National, Social and Environmental Values2022Best Film in AVGC (Best Visual Effects)
Non-feature film +List of current Non-feature film categories by year introducedYear introducedCategoryGolden Lotus (Swarna Kamal)1953Best Non-Feature Film1991Best Debut Film of a Director2000Best DirectionSilver Lotus (Rajat Kamal)1967Best Animation Film1978Special Mention1985Best Arts / Cultural Film1987Best Short Film1990Best Cinematography1990Best Editing1990Best Sound Design1993Best Music Direction2003Best Narration / Voice Over2022Best Non Feature Film Promoting National, Social and Environmental Values2022Best Biographical / Historical Reconstruction / Compilation Film2022Best Documentary2022Best Script
Writing on cinema +List of current Writing on cinema categories by year introducedYear introducedCategoryGolden Lotus (Swarna Kamal)1981Best Book on Cinema1984Best Film Critic
Discontinued and intermittent categories
Records + List of films with most awards Film (Year) No. of awards won Lagaan (2001) Bajirao Mastani (2015) Godmother (1998) Kannathil Muthamittal (2002) Aadukalam (2010) RRR (2022) Jogwa (2008) Kutty Srank (2009) Soorarai Pottru (2020) Gangubai Kathiawadi (2022)
Notes
References
Further reading
External links
National Film Awards at IMDb