The winners of the 72nd National Film Awards were announced in New Delhi, with the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting revealing the recipients of feature films, non-feature films and cinema writing. The prestigious awards honor films that have received certification from the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) between January 1, 2024, and December 31, 2024.The first set of announcements recognized some outstanding contributions in non-feature film categories, along with cinema writing awards. From sound design and editing to music, script writing and film criticism, the awards highlight exceptional talent from across the country.‘Feminichi Fathima’, ‘Blue’ and ‘NDA’ The best Malayalam film is ‘Feminichi Fathima’, and the best Hindi film is ‘Srikanth’. Among the first winners, the Tamil non-feature film Blue received the best sound design award. TS Hari Hara Sudhan was honored for his work, adding another major recognition to the film.In the Best Editing category, the Hindi non-feature film NDA emerged as the winner. Manvir Jasrotia was recognized for his editing, with the judges recognizing his contributions to the documentary.The Best Music Direction award in the non-feature section went to the Marathi documentary Parat 41°chya Magavar (On the Trail of 41°). Composer Shivpal Singh Kang received the honor of composing the film’s musical score.Narration, script and special mention are the winnersThe English-language documentary Little Planet: A Tale of Frogs took home the Best Narrator award. Soundarya Jayachandran was recognized for her narration, which played an important role in bringing the documentary to life.Meanwhile, the Hindi-Kashmiri film Obur (Clouds) won the Best Script award. Writer Faraz Ali received recognition for his screenplay.The jury also announced Special Mention awards for two non-feature films. The honor goes to Chola Dora aur Sui, directed by Jaymin Modi and Lokesh Ghai, and Bhadra-Kali Natakam, directed by Ananda Jyothi. Both films were recognized for their outstanding contributions to non-feature filmmaking.Writing cinema winners announcedThe Best Book on Cinema award was presented to Naaniruvude Nimagaagi Naadiruvude Nanagaagi. Kannada Cinemada Thathva Matthu Rajakeeya (I Stand for You, the State Stands for Us: Political and Philosophical Dimensions of Kannada Cinema). Written by Kenchanuru Pradeep Kumar Shetty, the book explores the philosophical and political aspects of Kannada cinema.The Best Film Critic award was given to Sanjeev Shrivastava. He has received recognition for his thoughtful analysis and critical writing on Hindi cinema.
