National Film Awards — At a Glance
NEW DELHI, SEPTEMBER 20, 2026: The National Film Awards are the country’s most prestigious honours for excellence in the field of cinema. Instituted in 1954, they are conferred every year by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. Over seven decades, the awards have recognised outstanding creative and technical achievement in Indian filmmaking. They cover three fields, namely feature films, non-feature films and writing on cinema.
The 72nd National Film Awards honour achievements in Indian cinema for the year 2024. The winners were announced on 18 July 2026 by the chairpersons of the three juries. The President of India, Droupadi Murmu, will present the awards on 22 September 2026 at Ekta Nagar (formerly Kevadia), in Gujarat.
The awards reflect the rich linguistic, cultural and regional diversity of filmmaking across the country. They place large commercial productions and small independent films on a single national platform. This breadth is what gives the honour its standing among filmmakers and audiences alike.
| Did You Know? In a major policy initiative, the Ministry has decided to hold the awards in various parts of the country. Future editions will travel beyond the National Capital to different States and cities. The ceremony at Ekta Nagar will bring together cinematic talent from across India. It will embody the spirit of Ek Bharat, Shreshtha Bharat. |
Legacy & Evolution — Since 1954
The journey of Indian cinema began in 1913 with Dadasaheb Phalke’s film Raja Harishchandra. The Film Enquiry Committee, set up in 1949, recommended the institution of the ‘State Awards for Films’. They were constituted to honor and encourage the artistic and technical excellence in Indian cinema. The awards were established in 1954 and the first edition honoured the films of 1953.
| The first edition of National Film Awards The first edition covered three categories, namely feature films, documentary films and children’s films. Shyamchi Aai in Marathi won the President’s Gold Medal for the Best All-India Feature Film. Mahabalipuram won the President’s Gold Medal for the Best Documentary Film, and Do Bigha Zamin received a Certificate of Merit. A modest beginning of seven honours thus opened seven decades of national recognition for Indian cinema. |
Widening the canvas
Awards for artists and technicians were separately established for the films of the year 1967. Uttam Kumar and Nargis received the first Best Actor and Best Actress awards in 1968. The Best Actor award was then called Bharat and the Best Actress award Urvashi. The Dadasaheb Phalke Award was instituted in 1969 and first presented to Devika Rani. New categories and technical crafts were added steadily as Indian cinema grew in range.
| Year | Milestone |
| 1913 | Dadasaheb Phalke completes Raja Harishchandra, a landmark in Indian filmmaking. |
| 1954 | The awards are instituted as the State Awards for Films. The first honours go to films of 1953. |
| 1967-68 | Awards for artists and technicians begin. Uttam Kumar and Nargis win the first acting honours. |
| 1969 | The Dadasaheb Phalke Award is instituted. Devika Rani is the first recipient. |
| 1973 | The Directorate of Film Festivals begins administering the awards. |
| 2022 | The Directorate of Film Festivals is merged into NFDC, the present implementing body. |
| 2026 | The 72nd awards are announced in July. The ceremony is scheduled to be held at Ekta Nagar, Gujarat. |
Purpose & Significance
The objectives of the National Film Awards are set out clearly in the official regulations. They encourage the production of films of aesthetic and technical excellence and social relevance. They help audiences understand and appreciate the cultures of different regions of the country. In doing so, the awards also promote the unity and integrity of the nation.
The awards further encourage the study and appreciation of cinema as an art form. Books, articles and reviews carry critical appreciation of this art form to a wider readership.
Why the recognition matters
A National Award confirms that a film has met the highest standard set by the nation. It draws audiences towards work that might otherwise reach only a small circle of viewers. The honour travels with the filmmaker and opens doors for the next project.
Award Structure
The National Film Awards are organised in three sections, along with one lifetime honour. The Feature Film section is for full length films. The Non-Feature Film section for documentaries, short films, animation and other allied forms. The Best Writing on Cinema section honours the best book and the best film critic. The Dadasaheb Phalke Award stands apart as the highest honour in Indian cinema.
| Section | Categories | Medal | Cash prize |
| Feature Films | 26 (with special mentions) | Swarna Kamal, Rajat Kamal | Rs 3,00,000 and Rs 2,00,000 |
| Non-Feature Films | 16 (with special mentions) | Swarna Kamal, Rajat Kamal | Rs 3,00,000 and Rs 2,00,000 |
| Best Writing on Cinema | 2 | Swarna Kamal | Rs 1,00,000 |
| Dadasaheb Phalke Award | 1 | Swarna Kamal, shawl | Rs 10,00,000 for 72nd NFA |
The feature film section includes Best Feature Film, Best Direction and Best Actor in a Leading Role among others. It also covers Best Children’s Film, Best Cinematography, Best Music Direction and Best Costume Design. The non-feature section includes Best Documentary, Best Short Film and Best Animation Film. It also carries Best Arts and Culture Film, Best Narration or Voice Over and Best Script among others.
| Every Language Has a Place A Best Feature Film award is given in each language listed in Schedule VIII of the Constitution. Films in languages outside the Schedule are honoured through separate awards of their own. In the 72nd edition, Dholi in Garhwali and IMBU in Tulu were recognised under this provision. |
How the Awards Are Selected
Entries are invited every year for films certified during the preceding calendar year. The Ministry then constitutes separate juries for each of the three award sections. Distinguished contributors are drawn from the field of cinema, allied forms of art and the humanities to serve as the jury members.
A two-tier examination for feature films
Feature films are assessed through a two-tier process introduced from the 57th edition onwards. Five regional panels first shortlist the entries received from every part of the country. A central panel then decides the winners in the feature film section of the awards. The Non-Feature Film section and the Best Writing on Cinema section have their own juries. No entries are invited for the Dadasaheb Phalke Award, which follows a different route. A specially constituted committee of eminent film personalities recommends the recipient.
The juries of the 72nd edition
Shri Jayaraj chaired the Feature Film Jury for the 72nd National Film Awards. Shri Aseem Sinha chaired the Non-Feature Film Jury for the same edition. Shri A. Chandrasekhar chaired the Best Writing on Cinema Jury.
| Eligibility in Brief Films must be certified by the CBFC during the award year and must carry English subtitles. A feature film must run for more than 72 minutes. Dubbed, remade or re-edited versions already submitted are not eligible. |
Recognition Across Indian Cinema
The National Film Awards look at cinema made in every part of the country. The 72nd edition honoured films in Marathi, Santhali, Tamil, Malayalam, Telugu and Kannada. Films in Tulu and Garhwali were also recognised, among several other languages. For the first time, a Santhali film was honoured in the Non-Feature Film section.
Angen, directed by Shri Ravi Raj Murmu, won the Best Debut Film of a Director. A first recognition of this kind widens the map of Indian cinema a little further.
Latest Edition — Key Highlights
The 72nd National Film Awards cover Indian films certified during the year 2024. Article 370 won the award for Best Feature Film in this edition. Yami Gautam won Best Actress in a Leading Role for the same film. Mammootty and Kartik Aaryan shared the award for Best Actor in a Leading Role. They won the award for Bramayugam and Chandu Champion respectively.
Shri Rajkumar Periasamy won the award for Best Direction for the Tamil film Amaran. Kalki 2898 AD was named Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment. Shri Randeep Hooda won the Best Debut Film of a Director award for Swatantrya Veer Savarkar. Bhangaar was adjudged Best Non-Feature Film and Ram-Nami was named the Best Documentary.
Current Awardees — 72nd National Film Awards
The table below carries the principal awards of the 72nd National Film Awards. Language awards, technical crafts and Special Mentions are recorded separately in the full list.
| Award | Film (Language) | Awardee |
| Best Feature Film | Article 370 (Hindi) | Producers: Jio Studios and B62 Studios; Director: Aditya Suhas Jambhale |
| Best Direction | Amaran (Tamil) | Rajkumar Periasamy |
| Best Actor in a Leading Role | Bramayugam (Malayalam); Chandu Champion (Hindi) | Mammootty and Kartik Aaryan (shared) |
| Best Actress in a Leading Role | Article 370 (Hindi) | Yami Gautam |
| Best Actor in a Supporting Role | Bhakshak (Hindi) | Sanjay Mishra |
| Best Actress in a Supporting Role | Maharaja (Tamil); Mithya (Kannada) | Sachana Namidass and Ropashree Varkady (shared) |
| Best Debut Film of a Director | Swatantrya Veer Savarkar (Hindi) | Randeep Hooda |
| Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment | Kalki 2898 AD (Telugu) | Producer: Vyjayanthi Movies; Director: Nag Ashwin Singireddy |
| Best Feature Film Promoting National, Social and Environmental Values | Captain Miller (Tamil) | Producer: Sathya Jyothi Films; Director: Arun Matheswaran |
| Best Children’s Film | 35 – Chinna Katha Kaadu (Telugu) | Producers: S Originals and Waltair Productions; Director: Nanda Kishore Emani |
| Best Music Direction | Article 370 (Hindi); Amaran (Tamil) | Shashwat Sachdev (Songs); G. V. Prakash Kumar (Background Music) |
| Best Non-Feature Film | Bhangaar (Marathi and English) | Producer and Director: Sumira Roy |
| Best Debut Film of a Director (Non-Feature) | Angen (Santhali) | Director: Ravi Raj Murmu |
| Best Documentary | Ram-Nami (Hindi) | Producer: BBP Studio Virtual Bharat Pvt. Ltd.; Director: Bharatbala Ganapathy |
| Best Direction (Non-Feature) | Statue of Unity – Ekta ka Prateek (Hindi) | Aanand L Rai |
| Best Book on Cinema | Naaniruvude Nimagaagi Naadiruvude Nanagaagi (Kannada) | Author: Kenchanuru Pradeep Kumar Shetty; Publisher: Mirror Pusthaka |
| Best Film Critic | Hindi | Sanjeev Shrivastava |
Check the complete list of awardees and juries.
Dadasaheb Phalke Award
The Dadasaheb Phalke Award is the highest honour in the field of Indian cinema. It was instituted in 1969, when it was presented to Devika Rani. The award commemorates Dadasaheb Phalke, who directed Raja Harishchandra in the year 1913. Recipients are recognised for outstanding contribution to the growth and development of Indian cinema.
Dadasaheb Phalke Award 2024
The Dadasaheb Phalke Award for 2024 will be conferred on Shri Anant Nag. The Government of India announced the decision on 16 September 2026. He was born on 4 September 1948 in Karnataka and began acting in the early seventies. He made his acting debut in the Kannada feature film Sankalp, and his Hindi debut with Ankur.
He has portrayed diverse characters in over 300 films across six Indian languages. His work also includes the widely loved television series Malgudi Days. He has won five Filmfare Awards and five Karnataka State Best Actor Awards. The Government of India honoured him with the Padma Bhushan in 2025. His cinematic journey spans more than five decades and has inspired generations of artists.
| Recent Recipients Shri Mohanlal received the Dadasaheb Phalke Award for the year 2023. Shri Mithun Chakraborty received the award for the year 2022. Smt. Waheeda Rehman received the award for the year 2021. Each award is presented at the National Film Awards ceremony of that edition. |
Indian Cinema: Culture, Identity and Influence
Cinema remains one of India’s most expressive art forms and one of its most powerful cultural assets. The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting describes it as a powerful medium for creativity, culture and innovation. Beyond artistic expression, it sustains a vast creative economy: India’s media and entertainment sector is now the world’s fifth largest, supported by 2 to 2.5 million digital creators and a 40 to 60 percent cost advantage in animation and VFX services. Indian films also carry the country’s soft power to global audiences, strengthening cultural heritage while creating livelihoods across languages and regions.
Continuing Contribution to Indian Cinema
Indian cinema today reaches audiences in more languages and formats than ever before. The National Film Awards remain the country’s central measure of cinematic merit. They reward craft, courage and clarity of vision rather than commercial scale alone.
The move to Ekta Nagar carries the awards closer to audiences outside the capital. Future editions will travel to different states and cities across the country. Film cultures that grow far from the large studios will now find a national stage.
The 72nd edition already shows this promise at work in more than one way. A Santhali film enters the roll of honour for the very first time. A veteran of Kannada cinema receives the highest honour in the field. The awards thus continue to serve both the art and the nation.
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