65th National Film Awards
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 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 five eminent personalities from Indian film industry was appointed to evaluate the lifetime achievement award, Dadasaheb Phalke Award.
| Name of Award | Awardee | Awarded As | Awards |
| Dadasaheb Phalke Award | Vinod Khanna | Actor | Swarna Kamal, and a shawl |
Feature Film
Golden Lotus Awards
Golden Lotus Award
Official Name: Swarna KamalAll the awardees are awarded with 'Golden Lotus Award ', a certificate and cash prize.
| Name of Award | Name of Film | Language | Awardee | Cash Prize |
| Best Feature Film | Village Rockstars | Assamese | Producer: Rima Das Director: Rima Das | 250,000/- Each |
| Best Debut Film of a Director | Sinjar | Jasari | Producer: Shibu G. Suseelan Director: Sandeep Pampally | 125,000/- Each |
| Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment | Telugu | Producer: Prasad Devineni Director: S. S. Rajamouli | 200,000/- Each | |
| Best Children's Film | Mhorkya | Marathi | Producer: Kalyan Rajmogli Padal Director: Amar Bharat Deokar | 150,000/- Each |
| Best Direction | Bhayanakam | Malayalam | Jayaraj | 250,000/- |
Silver Lotus Award
Official Name: Rajat KamalAll the awardees are awarded with 'Silver Lotus Award ', a certificate and cash prize.
| Name of Award | Name of Film | Language | Awardee | Cash Prize |
| Best Feature Film on National Integration | Dhappa | Marathi | Producer: Sumatilal Popatlal Shah Director: Nipun Dharmadhikari | 150,000/- Each |
| Best Film on Other Social Issues | Aalorukkam | Malayalam | Producer: Jolly Lonappan Director: V. C. Abhilash | 150,000/- Each |
| Best Film on Environment/Conservation/Preservation | Irada | Hindi | Producer: Irada Entertrainment Director: Aparnaa Singh | 150,000/- Each |
| Best Actor | Nagarkirtan | Bengali | Riddhi Sen | 50,000/- |
| Best Actress | Mom | Hindi | Sridevi | 50,000/- |
| Best Supporting Actor | Thondimuthalum Driksakshiyum | Malayalam | Fahadh Faasil | 50,000/- |
| Best Supporting Actress | Irada | Hindi | Divya Dutta | 50,000/- |
| Best Child Artist | Village Rockstars | Assamese | Bhanita Das | 50,000/- |
| Best Male Playback Singer | Viswasapoorvam Mansoor | Malayalam | K. J. Yesudas | 50,000/- |
| Best Female Playback Singer | Kaatru Veliyidai | Tamil | Shashaa Tirupati | 50,000/- |
| Best Cinematography | Bhayanakam | Malayalam | Nikhil S Praveen | 50,000/- |
| Best Screenplay Screenplay Writer | Thondimuthalum Driksakshiyum | Malayalam | Sajeev Pazhoor | 50,000/- |
| Best Screenplay Screenplay Writer | Bhayanakam | Malayalam | Jayaraj | 50,000/- |
| Best Screenplay Dialogues | Hello Arsi | Odia | Sambit Mohanty | 50,000/- |
| Best Audiography Location Sound Recordist | Village Rockstars | Assamese | Mallika Das | 50,000/- |
| Best Audiography Sound Designer | Walking With The Wind | Ladakhi | Sanal George | 50,000/- |
| Best Audiography Re-recordist of the Final Mixed Track | Walking With The Wind | Ladakhi | Justin Jose | 50,000/- |
| Best Editing | Village Rockstars | Assamese | Rima Das | 50,000/- |
| Best Production Design | Take Off | Malayalam | Santhosh Raman | 50,000/- |
| Best Costume Design | Nagarkirtan | Bengali | Gobinda Mandal | 50,000/- |
| Best Make-up Artist | Nagarkirtan | Bengali | Ram Rajjak | 50,000/- |
| Best Music Direction Songs | Kaatru Veliyidai | Tamil | A. R. Rahman | 50,000/- |
| Best Music Direction Background Score | Mom | Hindi | A. R. Rahman | 50,000/- |
| Best Lyrics | March 22 | Kannada | J. M. Prahlad | 50,000/- |
| Best Special Effects | ' | Telugu | R. C. Kamalakannan | 50,000/- |
| Best Choreography | Toilet Ek Prem Katha | Hindi | Ganesh Acharya | 50,000/- |
| Best Stunt Choreographer | ' | Telugu | King Solomon Lee Whittaker Kecha Khamphakdee | 50,000/- |
| Special Jury Award | Nagarkirtan | Bengali | Producer: Sani Ghose Ray Director: Kaushik Ganguly | 2,00,000/- |
| Special Mention | Newton | Hindi | Pankaj Tripathi | Certificate only |
| Special Mention | Take Off | Malayalam | Parvathy | Certificate only |
| Special Mention | Hello Arsi | Odia | Prakruti Mishra | Certificate only |
| Special Mention | Mhorkya | Marathi | Yasharaj Karhade | Certificate only |
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 Award | Name of Film | Awardee | Cash Prize |
| Best Feature Film in Assamese | Ishu | Producer: Children's Film Society Director: Utpal Borpujari | 1,00,000/- each |
| Best Feature Film in Bengali | Mayurakshi | Producer: Firdausul Hasan, Prabal Halder Director: Atanu Ghosh | 1,00,000/- each |
| Best Feature Film in Gujarati | Dhh | Producer: Amruta Parande Director: Manish Saini | 1,00,000/- each |
| Best Feature Film in Hindi | Newton | Producer: Drishyam Films Director: Amit V Masurkar | 1,00,000/- each |
| Best Feature Film in Kannada | Hebbet Ramakka | Producer: S. A. Puttaraju Director: N. R. Nanjunde Gowda | 1,00,000/- each |
| Best Feature Film in Malayalam | Thondimuthalum Driksakshiyum | Producer: Urvasi Theatres Director: Dileesh Pothan | 1,00,000/- each |
| Best Feature Film in Marathi | Kachcha Limboo | Producer: Mandar Devasthali Director: Prasad Oak | 1,00,000/- each |
| Best Feature Film in Odia | Hello Arsi | Producer: Ajaya Routray Director: Sambit Mohanty | 1,00,000/- each |
| Best Feature Film in Tamil | To Let | Producer: Prema Chezhian Director: Chezhiyan | 1,00,000/- each |
| Best Feature Film in Telugu | The Ghazi Attack | Producer: Prasad V. Potluri Director: 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 Award | Name of Film | Awardee | Cash Prize |
| Best Feature Film in Jasari | Sinjar | Producer: Shibu G. Suseelan Director: Sandeep Pampally | 1,00,000/- each |
| Best Feature Film in Ladakhi | Walking With The Wind | Producer: Mahesh Mohan Director: Praveen Morchhale | 1,00,000/- each |
| Best Feature Film in Tulu | Paddayi | Producer: Nithyananda Pai Director: 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 KamalAll the awardees are awarded with 'Golden Lotus Award ', a certificate and cash prize.
| Name of Award | Name of Film | Language | Awardee | Cash Prize |
| Best Director in Non-Feature Film | Pavasacha Nibandha | Marathi | Nagraj Manjule | 150,000/- |
Silver Lotus Award
Official Name: Rajat KamalAll the Awardees are awarded with 'Silver Lotus Award ' and cash prize.
| Name of Award | Name of Film | Language | Awardee | Cash Prize |
| Best First Non-Feature Film | Water Baby | Producer: Varun Shah Director: Pia Shah | 75,000/- Each | |
| Best Biographical Film / Best Historical Reconstruction / Compilation Film | Naachi se Baanchi | Producer: Films Division of India Director: Biju Toppo | 50,000/- Each | |
| Best Biographical Film / Best Historical Reconstruction / Compilation Film | Sword of Liberty | Producer: R. C. Suresh Director: Shiny Jacob Benjamin | 50,000/- Each | |
| Best Arts / Cultural Film | Girija | Producer: Madhu Chandra, Sudha Datta Director: Debapriya Adhikary, Samanwaya Sarkar | 50,000/- Each | |
| Best Environment Film including Best Agricultural Film | The Pangti Story | Producer: Rajiv Mehrotra Director: Sesino Yhoshü | 50,000/- Each | |
| Best Promotional Film | Poetry on Fabric : Chanderinama | Producer: Sanjay Gupta for Pro Art India Director: Rajendra Janglay | 50,000/- Each | |
| Best Film on Social Issues | I am Bonnie | Producer: Films Division of India Director: Satarupa Santra | 50,000/- Each | |
| Best Film on Social Issues | Veil Done | Producer: Juhi Bhatt Director: Rajiv Mehrotra | 50,000/- Each | |
| Best Educational / Motivational / Instructional Film | The Little Girl We Were and the Women We Are | Producer: Rahi Foundation Director: Vaishali Sood | 50,000/- Each | |
| Best Anthropological/Ethnographic Film | Name, Place, Animal, Thing | Producer and Director: Nithin R. | 50,000/- Each | |
| Best Anthropological/Ethnographic Film | Slave Genesis | Producer and Director: Aneez K. M. | 50,000/- Each | |
| Best Exploration / Adventure Film | Ladakh Chale Richawala | Producer: Films Division of India Director: Indrani Chakrabarti | 50,000/- Each | |
| Best Investigative Film | 1984, When the Sun Didn't Rise | Producer and Director: Teenaa Kaur | 50,000/- Each | |
| Best Animation Film | Tokri - The Basket | Producer: Nilima Eriyat Director: Suresh Eriyat Animator: Studio Eeksaurus | 50,000/- Each | |
| Best Animation Film | The Fish Curry | Hindi English | Producer: Munish Tewari Director and Animator: Abhishek Verma | 50,000/- Each |
| Best Short Fiction Film | Mayat | Marathi | Producer and Director: Suyash Shinde | 50,000/- Each |
| Best Film on Family Welfare | Happy Birthday | Producer: FTII Director: Medhpranav Babasaheb Powar | 50,000/- Each | |
| Best Cinematography | Eye Test | Cameraman: Appu Prabhakar | 50,000/- Each | |
| Best Cinematography | Dawn | Cameraman: Arnold Fernandes | 50,000/- Each | |
| Best Audiography | Pavasacha Nibandha | Marathi | Avinash Sonawane | 50,000/- |
| Best Audiography Location Sound Recordist | The Unreserved | 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 Laddak | Francois Castellino | 50,000/- | |
| Special Jury Award | A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings | Producer: Films Division of India Director: Prateek Vats | 50,000/- Each | |
| Special Jury Award | Monday | Producer: FTII Director: Arun K | 50,000/- Each | |
| Special Mention | Rebirth | Jayaraj | Certificate only | |
| Special Mention | Cake Story | Rukshana Tabassum | Certificate only | |
| Special Mention | Afternoon | Swapnil Vasant Kapure | 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.
| Name of Award | Name of Book | Language | Awardee | Cash Prize |
| Best Book on Cinema | Matmagi Manipur: The first Manipuri Feature Film | Author: Bobby Wahengbam Publisher: Angomningthou Preservation and Documentation | 75,000/- Each | |
| Best Film Critic | NA | English | Giridhar Jha | 75,000/- |
| Special Mention | NA | Hindi | Sunil Mishra | Certificate Only |