The National Film Awards is the most prominent film award ceremony in

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

. Established in 1954, it has been administered, along with the International Film Festival of India and the Indian Panorama, by the

Indian government The Government of India (ISO: ; often abbreviated as GoI), known as the Union Government or Central Government but often simply as the Centre, is the national government of the Republic of India, a federal democracy located in South Asia, ...

Directorate of Film Festivals The Directorate of Film Festivals in India was an organisation that initiated and presented the International Film Festival of India, the National Film Awards and the Indian Panorama. Although the Directorate helped appoint members of the jury ...

since 1973. Every year, a national panel appointed by the government selects the winning entry, and the award ceremony is held in

New Delhi New Delhi (, , ''Naī Dillī'') is the capital of India and a part of the National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, Parliament Ho ...

, where the

President of India The president of India ( IAST: ) is the head of state of the Republic of India. The president is the nominal head of the executive, the first citizen of the country, as well as the commander-in-chief of the Indian Armed Forces. Droupadi Mur ...

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 The Cinema of India consists of motion pictures produced in India, which had a large effect on world cinema since the late 20th century. Major centers of film production across the country include Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad, Visakhapatnam, ...

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 The Government of India (ISO: ; often abbreviated as GoI), known as the Union Government or Central Government but often simply as the Centre, is the national government of the Republic of India, a federal democracy located in South Asia, ...

conceived the ceremony to honor films made across India, on a national scale, to encourage the furthering of Indian art and culture. Since 1973, the Indian Directorate of Film Festivals administers the ceremony along with other major film events in India annually.

Juries and rules

The National Film Awards are presented in two main categories:

Feature Films A feature film or feature-length film is a narrative film (motion picture or "movie") with a running time long enough to be considered the principal or sole presentation in a commercial entertainment program. The term ''feature film'' originall ...

and Non-Feature Films. The juries are appointed by the

. Neither the Government nor the Directorate 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 The Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) is a statutory film-certification body in the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting of the Government of India. It is tasked with "regulating the public exhibition of films under the provision ...

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

The Awards are categorized into three sections; Feature Films, Non-Feature Films, 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 Dhundiraj Govind Phalke (Pronunciation: ̪ʱuɳɖiɾaːd͡ʒ pʰaːɭke, popularly known as Dadasaheb Phalke () (30 April 1870 – 16 February 1944), was an Indian producer-director-screenwriter, known as "the Father of Indian cinema". His de ...

, 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

Medal A medal or medallion is a small portable artistic object, a thin disc, normally of metal, carrying a design, usually on both sides. They typically have a commemorative purpose of some kind, and many are presented as awards. They may be int ...

lion, a cash prize, and a certificate of merit. Six categories from the Feature Films section, two 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 Award

Dadasaheb Phalke Award The Dadasaheb Phalke Award is India's highest award in the field of cinema. It is presented annually at the National Film Awards ceremony by the Directorate of Film Festivals, an organisation set up by the Ministry of Information and Broad ...

Feature Film Awards

Golden Lotus Award

Official name - ''Swarna Kamal'' * Best Feature Film *

Best Director Best Director is the name of an award which is presented by various film, television and theatre organizations, festivals, and people's awards. It may refer to: Film awards * AACTA Award for Best Direction * Academy Award for Best Director * BA ...

Best Animated Film This is a list of categories of awards commonly awarded through organizations that bestow film awards, including those presented by various film, festivals, and people's awards. Best Actor/Best Actress *See Best Actor#Film awards, Best Actress#F ...

Silver Lotus Award

Official Name: ''Rajat Kamal'' * Best Actor *

Best Actress Best Actress is the name of an award which is presented by various film, television and theatre organisations, festivals, and people's awards to leading actresses in a film, television series, television film or play. The first Best Actress aw ...

* Best Supporting Actor * Best Supporting Actress * Best Child Artist * Best Music Direction * Best Male Playback Singer * Best Female Playback Singer *

Best Lyrics Best or The Best may refer to: People * Best (surname), people with the surname Best * Best (footballer, born 1968), retired Portuguese footballer Companies and organizations * Best & Co., an 1879–1971 clothing chain * Best Lock Corporatio ...

* Best Art Direction * Best Audiography * Best Choreography * Best Cinematography * Best Costume Design * Best Editing * Best Make-up * Best Screenplay * Best Special Effects * Best Stunt Choreography * Special Jury Award * Special Mention
* Best Film on Environment Conservation / Preservation * Best Film on Family Welfare * Best Film on National Integration * Best Film on Other Social Issues
Best Feature Film in 17 of the 22 languages specified in the Eighth Schedule of the

Constitution of India The Constitution of India ( IAST: ) is the supreme law of India. The document lays down the framework that demarcates fundamental political code, structure, procedures, powers, and duties of government institutions and sets out fundamental ...

Discontinued Awards

* Second Best Feature Film * Third Best Feature Film * Best Story

Non-Feature Film Awards

Golden Lotus Award

Official Name: ''Swarna Kamal'' * Best Non-Feature Film *

Silver Lotus Award

Official Name: ''Rajat Kamal'' * Best First Film of a Director * Best Audiography * Best Cinematography * Special Jury Award / Special Mention * Best Editing * Best Music Direction * Best Narration / Voice Over
* Best Agriculture Film * Best Animation Film * Best Anthropological / Ethnographic Film * Best Arts / Cultural Film * Best Biographical Film * Best Educational / Motivational / Instructional Film * Best Environment/Conservation/Preservation Film * Best Exploration / Adventure Film * Best Film on Family Welfare * Best Historical Reconstruction / Compilation Film * Best Investigative Film * Best Promotional Film * Best Scientific Film * Best Short Fiction Film * Best Film on Social Issues

Discontinued Awards

* Best Experimental Film * Best Filmstrip * Best Industrial Film * Best News Review * Best Newsreel Cameraman

Writing on Cinema

Golden Lotus Award

Official Name: ''Swarna Kamal'' * Best Book on Cinema * Best Film Critic

Records

References

External links

Directorate of Film Festivals

National Film Awards
at

IMDb IMDb (an abbreviation of Internet Movie Database) is an online database of information related to films, television series, home videos, video games, and streaming content online – including cast, production crew and personal biographies, ...

{{National Cinema Awards Indian film awards Awards established in 1954 1954 establishments in India

History

Juries and rules

Awards

Lifetime Achievement Award

Feature Film Awards

Golden Lotus Award

Silver Lotus Award

Discontinued Awards

Non-Feature Film Awards

Golden Lotus Award

Silver Lotus Award

Discontinued Awards

Writing on Cinema

Golden Lotus Award

Records

References

Further reading

External links