71st National Film Awards
The 71st National Film Awards, presented by the National Film Development Corporation of India, were announced on 1 August 2025 by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting in a press conference to honour the best of Indian cinema in 2023. There were 332 entries in the feature film category, 115 in non-feature films, 27 books, and 16 critics’ submissions. The winners along with the Dadasaheb Phalke Award recipient were felicitated by the President, Droupadi Murmu on 23 September 2025 at the Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi.
Selection process
The National Film Development Corporation of India invited online entries with the acceptable last date for entries until 18 September 2024. Feature and Non-Feature Films certified by Central Board of Film Certification between 1 January 2023, and 31 December 2023, 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 2023, and 31 December 2023, 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, documentary, short film, or animation film, by the Central Board of Film Certification.
Dadasaheb Phalke Award
Introduced in 1969, the Dadasaheb Phalke Award is India's highest award in the field of cinema 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. The recipient is awarded with 'Golden Lotus Award', cash prize of, medallion and a shawl. The 2023 recipient is Mohanlal.A committee consisting three personalities from the Indian film industry was appointed to evaluate the award. Following were the jury members:Jury Members
| Award | Image | Awardee | Awarded As | Cash prize |
| Dadasaheb Phalke Award | Mohanlal | Actor | Swarna Kamal,, medallion and a shawl |
Feature Film
Jury
For the Feature Film section, six committees were formed based on the different geographic regions in India. The two-tier evaluation process included a central committee and five regional committees. The central committee, headed by the director Ashutosh Gowariker, included the heads of each regional committee and five other jury members. At regional level, each committee consisted of one chief and four members. The chief and one non-chief member of each regional committee were selected from outside that geographic region. The table below names the jury members for the central and regional committees:Central Jury
Northern Region:
Eastern Region:
Western Region:
Southern Region I:
Southern Region II:
Golden Lotus Award
All the awardees are awarded with 'Golden Lotus Award ', a certificate and cash prize.| Award | Film | Language | Awardee | Cash prize |
| Best Feature Film | 12th Fail | Hindi | ₹3,00,000 each | |
| Best Debut Film of a Director | Aatmapamphlet | Marathi | Ashish Avinash Bende | ₹3,00,000 |
| Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment | Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani | Hindi | ₹3,00,000 each | |
| Best Children's Film | Naal 2 | Marathi | ₹3,00,000 each | |
| Best Film in AVGC Animator | Hanu-Man | Telugu | Jetty Venkat Kumar | ₹3,00,000 |
| Best Film in AVGC Producer & Director | Hanu-Man | Telugu | ₹3,00,000 each | |
| Best Direction | The Kerala Story | Hindi | Sudipto Sen | ₹3,00,000 |
Silver Lotus Award
Official Name: Rajat KamalAll the awardees are awarded with 'Silver Lotus Award ', a certificate and cash prize.
Regional awards
All the awardees are awarded with Silver Lotus Award, a certificate and cash prize.Special Mention
All the awardees are awarded with a certificate.| Award | Film | Language | Awardee | Cash prize |
| Special Mention | Animal | Hindi | Sound Designer: M. R. Rajakrishnan | Certificate only |
Non-Feature Film
Non-feature length films made in any Indian language and certified by the Central Board of Film Certification as a documentary, short film, animation film etc are eligible for non-feature film section.Golden Lotus Award
Official Name: Swarna KamalAll the awardees are awarded with 'Golden Lotus Award ', a certificate and cash prize.
| Award | Film | Language | Awardee | Cash prize |
| Best Non-Feature Film | Flowering Man | Hindi | ₹3,00,000 each | |
| Best Direction | The First Film | Hindi | Piyush Thakur | ₹3,00,000 |
| Best Debut Film of a Director | Mau: The Spirit Dreams of Cheraw | Mizo | Shilpika Bordoloi | ₹3,00,000 |
Silver Lotus Award
Official Name: Rajat KamalAll the awardees are awarded with Silver Lotus Award and cash prize.
| Award | Film | Language | Awardee | Cash prize |
| Best Biographical / Historical Reconstruction / Compilation Film | Mo Bou, Mo Gaan | Odia | ₹2,00,000 shared | |
| Best Biographical / Historical Reconstruction / Compilation Film | Lentina Ao – A Light on the Eastern Horizon | English | ₹2,00,000 shared | |
| Best Arts / Cultural Film | Timeless Tamil Nadu | English | ₹2,00,000 shared | |
| Best Documentary | God Vulture and Human |
| ₹2,00,000 each | |
| Best Non Feature Film Promoting Social And Environmental Values | The Silent Epidemic | English | ₹2,00,000 each | |
| Best Short Film | Giddh (The Scavenger) | Hindi | ₹2,00,000 each | |
| Best Cinematography | Little Wings | Tamil | ₹2,00,000 shared | |
| Best Sound Design | Dhundhgiri Ke Phool | Hindi | Shubharun Sengupta | ₹2,00,000 |
| Best Editing | Moving Focus | English | Niladri Roy | ₹2,00,000 |
| Best Music Direction | The First Film | Hindi | Pranil Desai | ₹2,00,000 |
| Best Narration / Voice Over | The Sacred – Jack Exploring the Tree of Wishes | English | Harikrishnan S | ₹2,00,000 |
| Best Script | Sunflowers Were the First Ones to Know... | Kannada | Chidananda S Naik | ₹2,00,000 |
Special Mention
All the awardees are awarded with a certificate.| Award | Film | Language | Awardee | Cash prize |
| Special Mention | Nekal – Chronicle of The Paddy Man | Malayalam | Producer and director: M K Ramadas | Certificate only |
| Special Mention | The Sea & Seven Villages | Odia | Certificate only |
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 KamalAll the awardees are awarded with the Golden Lotus Award accompanied with a cash prize.
| Award | Awardee | Language | Cash prize |
| Best Film Critic | Utpal Datta | Assamese | ₹1,00,000 |