Recently, the 70th National Film Awards were announced by the Government.

• About: The National Film Awards are prestigious honours conferred annually for films produced in the previous year across India. 
• Established in: 1954
• Award Selection Process:  According to the Directorate of Film Festivals, the jury deciding the winners comprises “persons distinguished in the field of cinema, other allied arts and humanities”.
• Presented by: They are presented by the President of India each year for the films of the preceding year.
• History and Evolution
  • Inception: The National Film Awards were first presented in 1954 as the ‘State Awards‘, initially recognizing the best films in about a dozen regional languages.
  • Expansion: In 1968, the awards were expanded to include separate categories for artists and technicians.
• Notable First Winners
  • Best Actress: Nargis won the inaugural Best Actress Award for her role as a schizophrenia patient in Raat Aur Din.
  • Best Actor: Uttam Kumar received the Best Actor Award for his performances in Antony Firingee and Chiriyakhana.
• Current Categories
  • Features: Awards given for achievements in feature films.
  • Non-Features: Awards recognizing excellence in non-feature films.
  • Best Writing on Cinema: Awards aimed at encouraging the study and appreciation of cinema as an art form.
• Dadasaheb Phalke Award: The Dadasaheb Phalke Award is part of the National Film Awards.
  • The Award is named after Dhundiraj Govind Phalke, the pioneering filmmaker who gave India its first film– ‘Raja Harishchandra’, in 1913.
  • Honoured with the highest award in the field of cinema, the recipients are recognized for their ‘outstanding contribution to the growth and development of Indian cinema’. 

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