72nd National Film Awards explained: Why are 2024 films winning in 2026

At first glance, the 72nd National Film Awards may appear to be recognising films two years after their release. The ceremony is being held in September 2026, while several of the films and performances receiving honours belong to 2024. This raises a natural question: why are the National Film Awards being presented so long after the films were released? The answer lies in the difference between the film eligibility year, the award edition, the announcement of winners and the actual presentation ceremony. The 72nd National Film Awards correspond to the 2024 film cycle, even though the winners were announced and the awards are being presented in 2026. The 72nd edition belongs to the 2024 film cycle The simplest way to understand the timeline is to focus on the award edition and its eligibility period rather than the date of the ceremony. For the 72nd National Film Awards, films such as 'Article 370', 'Bramayugam', 'Chandu Champion', 'Amaran', 'Kalki 2898 AD', 'Stree 2' and 'Pushpa: The Rule Part-02' were considered as part of the 2024 eligibility cycle. The winners were announced on July 18, 2026, while the awards ceremony is taking place on September 22, 2026. Therefore, 2026 is the year in which the results are being announced and the honours presented; it is not the year being judged. Why is there a gap between the film year and the ceremony? The National Film Awards follow a formal selection process before the winners are announced. Films first have to meet the eligibility requirements for the relevant award cycle. For the 72nd edition, feature films needed to have been certified by the Central Board of Film Certification during 2024, along with satisfying the other prescribed conditions. Once eligible entries are submitted, they are evaluated by juries. Feature films go through regional panels before being considered by a central jury, while non-feature films and Best Writing on Cinema are evaluated through separate jury processes. The awards cover films from across India and multiple languages and categories. As a result, the jury process involves examining a large body of work before the final winners are selected. This multi-stage process is one of the reasons why the award presentation does not necessarily take place in the same calendar year as the films being honoured. Who selected the winners for the 72nd National Film Awards? The 72nd National Film Awards had separate juries for different sections. Filmmaker Jayaraj headed the Feature Film Jury, Aseem Sinha chaired the Non-Feature Film Jury, while A Chandrasekhar headed the Best Writing on Cinema Jury. Their respective assessments formed the basis for the winners announced in July 2026. From ‘Article 370’ to ‘Bramayugam’: Major winners from the 2024 cycle The 2024 film cycle produced winners across acting, direction and several other categories. Article 370 was named Best Feature Film, while Yami Gautam won Best Actress in a Leading Role for her performance in the film. Mammootty and Kartik Aaryan shared the Best Actor in a Leading Role honour for 'Bramayugam' and 'Chandu Champion', respectively. Rajkumar Periasamy won Best Director for 'Amaran'. 'Kalki 2898 AD' received the award for Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment, while Randeep Hooda was named Best Debut Film of a Director for 'Swatantrya Veer Savarkar'. Other popular 2024 releases, including 'Pushpa: The Rule Part-02', 'Stree 2' and 'Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3', also received honours in different categories. What does ‘72nd’ actually mean? The number refers to the edition of the National Film Awards, rather than the calendar year in which the ceremony is held. The National Film Awards were instituted in 1954 and have been presented annually by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. Each edition is linked to a particular award cycle, while the announcement and presentation of the honours can take place later. This is why the 72nd National Film Awards can be presented in 2026 while recognising films that were eligible in 2024. The number 72 does not indicate that the awards are specifically for films released in 2026. Why is the 72nd National Film Awards ceremony being held in Gujarat? The 2026 ceremony also marks a change in the traditional venue for the National Film Awards. The 72nd National Film Awards are being presented at Ekta Nagar in Kevadia, Gujarat, with the Statue of Unity providing the backdrop. The ceremony has traditionally been associated with Delhi. The government has announced a plan to take future editions of the National Film Awards to different states and cities instead of keeping the ceremony permanently tied to the national capital. There is therefore no discrepancy between the 2024 films being honoured and the 2026 ceremony. The films belong to the 2024 eligibility cycle; the winners were announced in July 2026; and the awards are being formally presented at the September 22, 2026 ceremony.