72nd National Film Awards Announced; Ceremony to Be Held at Ekta Nagar

72nd National Film Awards Announced; Ceremony to Be Held at Ekta Nagar

The winners of the 72nd National Film Awards, which recognise achievement in Indian cinema for the year 2024, were announced on 18 July 2026 by the chairpersons of the three juries. The President of India will present the awards on 22 September 2026 at Ekta Nagar, formerly Kevadia, in Gujarat.

Instituted in 1954, the National Film Awards are conferred annually by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. They cover three fields — feature films, non-feature films and writing on cinema — and are regarded as the country's most prestigious honours for excellence in cinema.

A Ceremony That Will Travel

In a significant policy initiative, the Ministry has decided to hold the awards in different parts of the country. Future editions will move beyond the National Capital to various States and cities. The ceremony at Ekta Nagar will bring together cinematic talent from across India and is intended to embody the spirit of Ek Bharat, Shreshtha Bharat.

Legacy Since 1954

Indian cinema began in 1913 with Dadasaheb Phalke's Raja Harishchandra. The Film Enquiry Committee, set up in 1949, recommended the institution of State Awards for Films to honour and encourage artistic and technical excellence. The awards were established in 1954, with the first edition honouring films of 1953.

That first edition covered three categories — 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, while Mahabalipuram took the President's Gold Medal for the Best Documentary Film. Do Bigha Zamin received a Certificate of Merit. Seven honours in all opened seven decades of national recognition.

Awards for artists and technicians were established separately for the films of 1967. Uttam Kumar and Nargis received the first Best Actor and Best Actress awards in 1968, when the honours were known as Bharat and Urvashi respectively. The Dadasaheb Phalke Award was instituted in 1969 and first presented to Devika Rani. New categories and technical crafts were added as Indian cinema grew in range.

The Directorate of Film Festivals began administering the awards in 1973 and was merged into NFDC, the present implementing body, in 2022.

Purpose and Significance

The objectives of the awards are set out in official regulations. They encourage the production of films of aesthetic and technical excellence and social relevance, help audiences appreciate the cultures of different regions, and promote the unity and integrity of the nation. They also encourage the study and appreciation of cinema as an art form, with books, articles and reviews carrying critical appreciation to a wider readership.

A National Award confirms that a film has met the highest standard set by the nation, draws audiences towards work that might otherwise reach only a small circle, and opens doors for a filmmaker's next project.

Award Structure

The awards are organised in three sections, along with one lifetime honour. The Feature Film section covers full-length films; the Non-Feature Film section covers documentaries, short films, animation and allied forms; and 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, as well as 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, along with Best Arts and Culture Film, Best Narration or Voice Over and Best Script.

A Best Feature Film award is given in each language listed in Schedule VIII of the Constitution, while films in languages outside the Schedule are honoured through separate awards. In the 72nd edition, Dholi in Garhwali and IMBU in Tulu were recognised under this provision.

How Winners Are Chosen

Entries are invited every year for films certified during the preceding calendar year. The Ministry constitutes separate juries for each of the three sections, drawing distinguished contributors from cinema, allied art forms and the humanities.

Feature films are assessed through a two-tier process introduced from the 57th edition onwards. Five regional panels first shortlist entries from every part of the country, and a central panel then decides the winners. The Non-Feature Film and Best Writing on Cinema sections have their own juries. No entries are invited for the Dadasaheb Phalke Award, for which a specially constituted committee of eminent film personalities recommends the recipient.

For the 72nd edition, Shri Jayaraj chaired the Feature Film Jury, Shri Aseem Sinha chaired the Non-Feature Film Jury and Shri A. Chandrasekhar chaired the Best Writing on Cinema Jury.

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, and dubbed, remade or re-edited versions already submitted are not eligible.

Recognition Across Indian Cinema

The 72nd edition honoured films in Marathi, Santhali, Tamil, Malayalam, Telugu and Kannada, among several other languages, including Tulu and Garhwali. 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 its kind that widens the map of Indian cinema a little further.