The 65th National Film Awards ceremony was an event during which the Directorate of Film Festivals presented its annual National Film Awards to honour the best films of 2017 in Indian cinema. The awards were announced on 13 April 2018. The award ceremony was held on 3 May 2018.
Selection process The Directorate of Film Festivals invited online entries and the acceptable last date for entries was until 2 March 2018. Feature and Non-Feature Films certified by the Central Board of Film Certification between 1 January 2017, and 31 December 2017, were eligible for the film award categories. Books, critical studies, reviews or articles on cinema published in Indian newspapers, magazines, and journals between 1 January 2017, and 31 December 2017, were eligible for the best writing on cinema section. Entries of dubbed, revised or copied versions of a film or translation, abridgements, edited or annotated works and reprints were ineligible for the awards.
For the Feature and Non-Feature Films sections, films in any Indian language, shot on 16 mm, 35 mm, a wider film gauge or a digital format, and released in cinemas, on video or digital formats for home viewing were eligible. Films were required to be certified as a feature film, a featurette or a Documentary/Newsreel/Non-Fiction by the Central Board of Film Certification.
Dadasaheb Phalke Award Introduced in 1969, the Dadasaheb Phalke Award is the highest award given to recognise the contributions of film personalities towards the development of Indian cinema and for distinguished contributions to the medium, its growth and promotion."
A committee consisting of five eminent personalities from the Indian film industry was appointed to evaluate the lifetime achievement award, Dadasaheb Phalke Award.
Name of AwardImageAwardee(s)Awarded AsAwardsDadasaheb Phalke Award Vinod Khanna ActorShadan Azeez, and a shawl
Feature film All India Awards Golden Lotus Award
Official Name: Swarna Kamal
All awardees were awarded with the 'Golden Lotus Award (Swarna Kamal)', a certificate and cash prize.
Name of AwardName of FilmLanguageAwardee(s)Cash prizeBest Feature FilmVillage Rockstars Assamese Producer and Director: Rima Das 250,000/- EachBest Debut Film of a Director Sinjar Jasari Producer: Shibu G. SuseelanDirector: Pampally 125,000/- EachBest Popular Film Providing Wholesome EntertainmentBaahubali 2: The ConclusionTeluguProducer: Prasad DevineniDirector: S. S. Rajamouli 200,000/- EachBest Children's Film Mhorkya Marathi Producer: Kalyan Rajmogli PadalDirector: Amar Bharat Deokar 150,000/- EachBest DirectionBhayanakamMalayalamJayaraj 250,000/-
Silver Lotus Award
Official Name: Rajat Kamal
All awardees were awarded with the 'Silver Lotus Award (Rajat Kamal)', a certificate and cash prize.
Name of AwardName of FilmLanguageAwardee(s)Cash prizeBest Feature Film on National Integration DhappaMarathiProducer: Sumatilal Popatlal ShahDirector: Nipun Dharmadhikari 150,000/- EachBest Film on Other Social IssuesAalorukkamMalayalamProducer: Jolly LonappanDirector: V. C. Abhilash 150,000/- EachBest Film on Environment/Conservation/PreservationIradaHindiProducer: Irada EntertainmentDirector: Aparnaa Singh 150,000/- EachBest ActorNagarkirtanBengaliRiddhi Sen 50,000/-Best ActressMomHindiSridevi 50,000/-Best Supporting ActorThondimuthalum DriksakshiyumMalayalamFahadh Faasil 50,000/-Best Supporting ActressIradaHindiDivya Dutta 50,000/-Best Child ArtistVillage RockstarsAssameseBhanita Das 50,000/-Best Male Playback SingerViswasapoorvam MansoorMalayalamK. J. Yesudas 50,000/-Best Female Playback SingerKaatru VeliyidaiTamilShashaa Tirupati 50,000/-Best CinematographyBhayanakam Malayalam Nikhil S Praveen 50,000/-Best ScreenplayThondimuthalum DriksakshiyumMalayalamSajeev Pazhoor 50,000/-Best ScreenplayBhayanakamMalayalamJayaraj 50,000/-Best Screenplay Hello Arsi Odia Sambit Mohanty 50,000/-Best Audiography Village Rockstars Assamese Mallika Das 50,000/-Best Audiography Walking with the Wind Ladakhi Sanal George 50,000/-Best Audiography Walking with the Wind Ladakhi Justin Jose 50,000/-Best Editing Village RockstarsAssameseRima Das 50,000/-Best Production DesignTake OffMalayalamSanthosh Raman 50,000/-Best Costume DesignNagarkirtanBengaliGobinda Mandal 50,000/-Best Make-up Artist Nagarkirtan BengaliRam Rajjak 50,000/-Best Music Direction Kaatru Veliyidai Tamil A. R. Rahman 50,000/-Best Music Direction Mom Hindi A. R. Rahman 50,000/- Best Lyrics March 22 KannadaJ. M. Prahlad 50,000/-Best Special EffectsBaahubali 2: The ConclusionTelugu R. C. Kamal Kannan 50,000/-Best Choreography Toilet Ek Prem Katha Hindi Ganesh Acharya 50,000/- Best Stunt ChoreographerBaahubali 2: The ConclusionTelugu King Solomon 50,000/-Special Jury Award Nagarkirtan Bengali Producer: Sani Ghose RayDirector: Kaushik Ganguly 2,00,000/-Special Mention Newton Hindi Pankaj Tripathi Certificate only Take Off Malayalam Parvathy Hello Arsi Odia Prakruti Mishra Mhorkya Marathi Yasharaj Karhade
Regional Awards
National Film Awards are also given to the best films in the regional languages of India. Awards for the regional languages are categorised as per their mention in the Eighth schedule of the Constitution of India. Awardees included producers and directors of the film. No films in languages other than those specified in the Schedule VIII of the Constitution were eligible.
Name of AwardName of FilmAwardee(s)Cash prizeBest Feature Film in AssameseIshuProducer: Children's Film SocietyDirector: Utpal Borpujari 1,00,000/- eachBest Feature Film in BengaliMayurakshiProducer: Firdausul Hasan, Prabal HalderDirector: Atanu Ghosh 1,00,000/- eachBest Feature Film in GujaratiDhh Producer: Amruta ParandeDirector: Manish Saini 1,00,000/- eachBest Feature Film in Hindi Newton Producer: Drishyam FilmsDirector: Amit V Masurkar 1,00,000/- eachBest Feature Film in Kannada Hebbet Ramakka Producer: S. A. PuttarajuDirector: N. R. Nanjunde Gowda 1,00,000/- eachBest Feature Film in MalayalamThondimuthalum Driksakshiyum Producer: Urvasi TheatresDirector: Dileesh Pothan 1,00,000/- eachBest Feature Film in MarathiKachcha Limboo Producer: Mandar DevasthaliDirector: Prasad Oak 1,00,000/- eachBest Feature Film in OdiaHello Arsi Producer: Ajaya RoutrayDirector: Sambit Mohanty 1,00,000/- eachBest Feature Film in Tamil To Let Producer: Prema ChezhianDirector: Chezhiyan 1,00,000/- eachBest Feature Film in TeluguThe Ghazi AttackProducer: Prasad V. PotluriDirector: Sankalp Reddy 1,00,000/- each
Best Feature Film in Each of the Language Other Than Those Specified in the Schedule VIII of the Constitution
Name of AwardName of FilmAwardee(s)Cash prize Best Feature Film in Jasari Sinjar Producer: Shibu G. SuseelanDirector: Sandeep Pampally 1,00,000/- each Best Feature Film in LadakhiWalking with the Wind Producer: Mahesh MohanDirector: Praveen Morchhale 1,00,000/- each Best Feature Film in TuluPaddayi Producer: Nithyananda PaiDirector: Abhaya Simha 1,00,000/- each
Non-Feature Films Short Films made in any Indian language and certified by the Central Board of Film Certification as a documentary/newsreel/fiction are eligible for non-feature film section.
Golden Lotus Award
Official Name: Swarna Kamal
All awardees were awarded with the 'Golden Lotus Award (Swarna Kamal)', a certificate and cash prize.
Name of AwardName of FilmLanguageAwardee(s)Cash prizeBest Director in Non-Feature Film Pavsacha Nibandh Marathi Nagraj Manjule 150,000/-
Silver Lotus Award
Official Name: Rajat Kamal
All awardees are awarded with the 'Silver Lotus Award (Rajat Kamal)' and cash prize.
Name of AwardName of FilmLanguageAwardee(s)Cash prizeBest First Non-Feature Film Water Baby English KonkanProducer: Varun ShahDirector: Pia Shah 75,000/- Each Best Biographical Film / Best Historical Reconstruction / Compilation Film Naachi se Baanchi Hindi Mundari English Producer: Films Division of IndiaDirector: Biju Toppo 50,000/- Each Sword of Liberty Malayalam Producer: R. C. SureshDirector: Shiny Jacob BenjaminBest Arts / Cultural Film GirijaHindi Producer: Madhu Chandra, Sudha DattaDirector: Debapriya Adhikary, Samanwaya Sarkar 50,000/- EachBest Environment Film including Best Agricultural Film The Pangti StoryEnglish Naga Lotha Producer: Rajiv MehrotraDirector: Sesino Yhoshü 50,000/- EachBest Promotional Film Poetry on Fabric: Chanderinama Producer: Sanjay Gupta for Pro Art IndiaDirector: Rajendra Janglay 50,000/- Each Best Film on Social Issues I am BonnieBengaliProducer: Films Division of IndiaDirector: Satarupa Santra 50,000/- Each Veil DoneEnglishProducer: Juhi BhattDirector: Rajiv MehrotraBest Educational / Motivational / Instructional Film The Little Girl We Were and the Women We Are Producer: Rahi FoundationDirector: Vaishali Sood 50,000/- Each Best Anthropological/Ethnographic Film Name, Place, Animal, ThingHindi Producer and Director: Nithin R. 50,000/- Each Slave GenesisEnglish Producer and Director: Aneez K. MappilaBest Exploration / Adventure Film (including sports) Ladakh Chale Rickshawala Hindi Producer: Films Division of IndiaDirector: Indrani Chakrabarti 50,000/- EachBest Investigative Film 1984, When the Sun Didn't RisePunjabi Producer and Director: Teenaa Kaur Pasricha 50,000/- EachBest Animation Film Tokri – The Basket Silent Producer: Nilima EriyatDirector: Suresh EriyatAnimator: Studio Eeksaurus 50,000/- Each The Fish Curry HindiEnglish Producer: Munish TewariDirector and Animator: Abhishek VermaBest Short Fiction Film Mayat Marathi Producer and Director: Suyash Shinde 50,000/- EachBest Film on Family Welfare Happy Birthday Marathi Producer: FTIIDirector: Medhpranav Babasaheb Powar 50,000/- Each Best Cinematography Eye TestMalayalamCameraman: Appu Prabhakar 50,000/- Each Dawn Cameraman: Arnold FernandesBest Audiography Pavsacha Nibandh Marathi Avinash Sonawane 50,000/-Best Audiography The Unreserved Hindi Samarth Mahajan 50,000/-Best Editing Mrityubhoj The Death Feast Marathi Sanjiv Monga and Tenzin Kunchok 50,000/- Best Music Direction Shored of Liberty Ramesh Narayanan 50,000/- Best Narration / Voice Over The Lion of Ladakh English Francois Castellino 50,000/- Special Jury Award A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings English Producer: Films Division of IndiaDirector: Prateek Vats 50,000/- Each Monday English Producer: FTIIDirector: Arun K Special Mention RebirthEnglish Jayaraj Certificate only Cake StoryHindi Rukshana Tabassum AfternoonMarathi Swapnil Vasant Kapure
Best Writing on Cinema
The awards aim at encouraging study and appreciation of cinema as an art form and dissemination of information and critical appreciation of this art-form through publication of books, articles, reviews etc.
Golden Lotus Award Official Name: Swarna Kamal
All awardees were awarded with the Golden Lotus Award (Swarna Kamal) accompanied with a cash prize.
Name of AwardName of BookLanguageAwardee(s)Cash prizeBest Book on Cinema Matmagi Manipur: The first Manipuri Feature Film Author: Bobby WahengbamPublisher: Angomningthou Preservation and Documentation 75,000/- EachBest Film Critic NA English Giridhar Jha 75,000/- Special Mention (Film Critic) NA Hindi Sunil Mishra Certificate Only
References
External links National Film Awards Archives Official Page for Directorate of Film Festivals, India