With 41st National Film Awards, a new award for Best Non-Feature Film Music Direction was introduced for non-feature films section awarded with Rajat Kamal (Silver Lotus).
Awards
Awards were divided into feature films, non-feature films and books written on Indian cinema.
Citation:For presenting a panoramic view of India in a period of transition to reveal the goals of nationalism by the integration of a mass disparate materials and shaping them into a coherent saga of Indian nationalism in an epic style.
Citation:For his sensitive portrayal in the film Ponthan Mada of the role of an outsider and in Vidheyan for the depiction of the relationship of power and terror at an existential level.
Citation:For his superb capacity to render a variety of moods by means of a rich and melodious voice, which is capable of delineating both the range and depth of human emotions.
Citation:For the masterly use of the camera, in order to capture the feel of the background, setting, atmosphere of the subject and making use of striking visuals to communicate the theme.
Citation:For recreating architecture, landscape and interiors of exceptional beauty and cinematic integrity, synchronised to perfection with the thematic content of the protagonist's search for the poetry of an ailing maestro.
Citation:For recreating an entire spectrum of costumes, representing not only the protagonist, the ageing litterateur and his closeted world, but the entire milieu of the city and the small town.
Citation:For his lyric "Raalipoye Puvva", which demonstrates his poetic imagination, enriched by his deep experience of life and a consequential competence in using language with felicity.
Citation:For a sensitive portrayal of the feeling of the poet, who is a representative of a dying humanistic culture, in course of which the life of imagination is undermined by the pressure of materialistic values.
Citation:For their film, a sensitive exploration of a woman's experience of loneliness in the context of the inexorable passage of time, culminating on a positive note of redemption through symbolic images.
Regional Awards
The award is given to best film in the regional languages in India.[1]
Citation:For a restrained and symbolic portrayal of love and betrayal and of the various layers of moral corruption, which overpower the lives of innocents.
Citation:For its in-depth handling and complex delineation of the psychological evolution of two characters, representative of the transformation of terror into power and its hold over the life of the existentialist outsider.
Citation:For its clever portrayal of comedy of errors, cutting across the generation gap and for its charming depiction of puppy-love, extending from the campus to the homes of today's youth, in a refreshing directorial debut.
Citation:For its very sensitive and cinematic handling of an urban journalist's quest to understand the complexities of tribal life, seen through the eyes of an orphaned boy.
Citation:For depicting the aspiration and frustrations of the protagonist, his separation from reunion with his children, spanning a vast canvas of various cinema skills put together into an epic saga of a struggle against justice.
Citation:A breath-taking film, uniting the various film arts, crafts and technical skills into an integrated experience, with lasting images of a dying culture, in which a humanistic vision of life is being undermined by encroachment from acquisitive commercialism.
Best Feature Film in Each of the Language Other Than Those Specified in the Schedule VIII of the Constitution
Citation:For depicting how money-power can take away everything from a simple and innocent community of villagers, using muscle power and political force.
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.
Juries
A committee headed by Bikram Singh was appointed to evaluate the non-feature films awards. Following were the jury members:[1]
Citation:For a visually enchanting depiction of the life patterns of the people living along the River Indus in Ladakh, with rich details emerging from their environment.
Producer: Shanta Gokhale and Arun Khopkar Director: Arun khopkar
₹ 10,000/- Each
Citation:For a beautifully crafted and successful presentation of the biography of the painter, Jehangir Sabavala, through his work. The sound design of the film has also been meticulously conceived.
Citation:For focussing attention on a unique intermingling of classical and folk dance traditions which is in danger of extinction through an appealing film form.
Producer: Sehjo Singh and Anwar Jamal Director: Sehjo Singh
₹ 10,000/- Each
Citation:For the critical presentation of the phenomenon of witches and witch-hunting, provoked by forces within and outside, which is symbolic of the exploitation of a tribal community.
Citation:For a well researched and detailed investigation of the fears and tribulations of the people living under the looming shadow of a long-delayed multipurpose hydel project.
Producer: National Center of Films for Children and Young People Director: Pankaj Advani
₹ 10,000/- Each
Citation:For taking a total holiday from logic and inhibitions and creating a most entertaining and humorous fantasy which, with all its improbabilities, will succeed in casting a spell on its audiences.
Citation:For contributing significantly to the mood of fantasy which pervades the film through refreshing music, with innovative use of the human voice.
Citation:For transcreating a well-known and touching Malayalam poem into a celluloid poem, with great sensitivity and economy.
Death of a Prodigal Son
Hindi, English
Mahesh Thottathil (Director)
Citation:For an interesting exploration of the stream-of-consciousness of a dying man in a restrained and stylised student film.
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.
Juries
A committee headed by Khalid Mohamed was appointed to evaluate the writing on Indian cinema. Following were the jury members:[1]
Jury Members
Khalid Mohamed (Chairperson) • Udaya Tara Nayar • Uma Vasudev
Citation:Her riveting autobiography provides an insight into the working of the Telugu film industry, while tracing her fascinating life and career, written with candour and in an immensely fluent style, the book undergoes the independent spirit of a woman in an excessively male dominated system of the show business. The lively and self-analytical work is a rare phenomenon in a field, where artistes seem to be unnecessarily hesitant to author their life stories
Citation:His articles are fine example of serious film criticism. Scholarly and sensitive to minute details of films, he has distilled years of his experience as a film society enthusiast into his writing. The jury was impressed by his insights and his love for cinema as an art form
Awards not given
Following were the awards not given as no film was found to be suitable for the award:[1]
