National Film Awards


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 1973 until 2020, and by the NFDC since 2021.
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 1973 until 2020, 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 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. 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.
YearCeremonyDateBest Feature FilmBest Non-Feature Film
19531st10 October 1954Shyamchi AaiMahabalipuram
19542nd21 December 1955Mirza GhalibSpirit of the Loom
19553rdSeptember 1956Pather PanchaliMagic of Mountains
19564th28 April 1957KabuliwalaGotama The Buddha
19575th16 April 1958Do Aankhen Barah HaathA Himalayan Tapestry
19586th28 April 1959Sagar SangameyRadha Krishna
19597th1 May 1960Apur SansarKathakali
19608th31 March 1961AnuradhaKangra and Kulu
19619th21 April 1962Bhagini NiveditaRabindranath Tagore
196210th21 April 1963Dada ThakurFour Centuries Ago
196311th25 April 1964Shehar Aur SapnaSong of the Snow
196412th31 May 1965CharulataOne Day
196513th1966ChemmeenCloven Horizon
196614th10 October 1967Teesri KasamGlimpses of West Bengal
196715th25 November 1968Hatey BazareyIndia '67
196816th13 February 1970Goopy Gyne Bagha ByneEverest
196917th21 November 1970Bhuvan ShomeAmrita Sher-Gil
197018th1971Samskara"No Award"
197119th1 May 1972SeemabaddhaBhutan
197220th1973SwayamvaramThe Inner Eye
197321stOctober 1974NirmalyamThe Flame Burns Bright
197422nd1976ChorusMan In Search of Man
197523rd1976Chomana DudiWinged Wonderland
197624th1977Mrigayaa
197725th27 April 1978GhatashraddhaDeshratna Rajendra Prasad
197826thApril 1979Rumtek - A Monastery Wrethed
197826thApril 1979In A Hundred Thousand Rainbows
197927thMay 1980Shodh
198028thApril 1981Akaler ShandhaneyDaldal
198129thApril 1982DakhalFaces After The Storm
198230thMay 1983ChokhAn Indian Story
198331stJune 1984Adi ShankaracharyaThe Procession
198432ndJune 1985DamulMusic of Satyajit Ray
198533rdJune 1986ChidambaramBombay: Our City
198634thSeptember 1987Tabarana KatheThe Land of Sand Dunes
198735thApril 1988Halodhia Choraye Baodhan KhaiBhopal: Beyond Genocide
198836th31 May 1989PiraviKanaka Purandara
198937thMay 1990Bagh BahadurAar Koto Din
199038th7 April 1991MarupakkamGraven Image
199139th6 May 1992AgantukSons of Abotani: The Misings
199240th4 May 1993Bhagavad GitaIn Search of Indian Theatre
199341st30 September 1994CharacharMaihar Raag
199442nd17 July 1995Unishe AprilRasayatra
199543rd6 August 1996KathapurushanTarana
199644th15 July 1997Lal DarjaSham's Vision
199745th10 July 1998Thaayi SahebaJataner Jami
199846th15 February 2000SamarIn The Forest Hangs a Bridge
199947th18 September 2000VanaprasthamDui Paatan Ke Beech Mein
200048th12 December 2001ShanthamRasikpriya
200149th13 February 2003DweepaSonal
200250th29 December 2003Mondo Meyer UpakhyanNarayan Gangaram Surve
200351st2 February 2005ShwaasKaya Poochhe Maya Se
200351st2 February 2005ShwaasWar and Peace
200452nd21 October 2005Page 3Girni
200553rd14 September 2007KaalpurushRiding Solo to the Top of the World
200654th2 September 2008PulijanmamBishar Blues
200755th21 October 2009KanchivaramHope Dies Last in War
200856th20 March 2010AntaheenAFSPA, 1958
200957th22 October 2010Kutty SrankThe Postman
200957th22 October 2010Kutty SrankBilal
201058th9 September 2011Adaminte Makan AbuGerm
201159th3 May 2012ByariAnd We Play On
201159th3 May 2012DeoolAnd We Play On
201260th3 May 2013Paan Singh TomarShepherds of Paradise
201361st3 May 2014Ship of TheseusRangbhoomi
201462nd3 May 2015CourtTender Is the Sight
201563rd3 May 2016Baahubali: The BeginningAmdavad Ma Famous
201664th3 May 2017KaasavFireflies in the Abyss
201765th3 May 2018Village Rockstars
201866th23 December 2019HellaroSon Rise
201866th23 December 2019HellaroThe Secret Life of Frogs
201967th25 October 2021Marakkar: Lion of the Arabian SeaAn Engineered Dream
202068th30 September 2022Soorarai PottruTestimony of Ana
202169th17 October 2023Rocketry: The Nambi EffectEk Tha Gaon
202270th8 October 2024AattamAyena
202371st23 September 202512th FailFlowering Man