National Film Award for Best Film on Social Issues

National Film Award for Best Film on Social Issues
National award for contributions to short film
Sponsored by	Directorate of Film Festivals
Formerly called	Best Film on Social Documentation (1967–1985)
Reward(s)	Rajat Kamal (Silver Lotus) ₹50,000 (US$600)
First awarded	1967
Last awarded	2017
Most recent winner	•I am Bonnie  •Veil Done
Highlights
Total awarded	45
First winner	I am 20

The National Film Award for Best Film on Social Issues was one of the National Film Awards presented annually by the Directorate of Film Festivals, the organisation set up by Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, India. It was one of several awards presented for non-feature films and awarded with Rajat Kamal (Silver Lotus).

The award was instituted in 1967, at 15th National Film Awards and awarded annually for the short films produced in the year across the country, in all Indian languages. At the 70th National Film Awards, the award is discontinued and clubbed with National Film Award for Best Promotional Film, National Film Award for Best Scientific Film, National Film Award for Best Educational/Motivational/Instructional Film, National Film Award for Best Exploration/Adventure Film, National Film Award for Best Anthropological/Ethnographic Film, National Film Award for Best Agriculture Film and National Film Award for Best Investigative Film, and two new categories were created; Best Documentary and Best Non Feature Film Promoting Social and Environmental Values. ^[1]

Winners

Award includes 'Rajat Kamal' (Silver Lotus) and cash prize. Following are the award winners over the years:

Indicates a joint award for that year

List of films, showing the year, language(s), producer(s), director(s) and citation
Year	Film(s)	Language(s)	Producer(s)	Director(s)	Citation	Refs.
1967 (15th)	I am 20	English	J. S. Bhownagary and K. L. Khandpur for Films Division	S. N. S. Sastry	–	[2]
1968 (16th)	Water	English	Fali Billmoria Productions	Fali Billmoria	–	[3]
1969 (17th)	No Award					[4]
1970 (18th)	Latest	English	Film-O-Pub	Biplab Ray Chaudhari	–	[5]
1971 (19th)
1972 (20th)	Transcedence	English	Pramod Patil for Films Division	K. Vishwanath for Films Division	–	[6]
1973 (21st)	Land of Krishna	English	G. L. Bhardwaj	G. L. Bhardwaj	–	[7]
1974 (22nd)	Behind the Breadline	English	S. Sukhdev	S. Sukhdev	–	[8]
1975 (23rd)	Baster Rhythm of Progress	English	Chandrashekhar Nair	Chandrashekhar Nair	–	[9]
1976 (24th)
1977 (25th)	No Award					[10]
1978 (26th)	No Award					[11]
1979 (27th)
1980 (28th)	No Award					[12]
1981 (29th)	No Award					[13]
1982 (30th)	No Award					[14]
1983 (31st)	No Award					[15]
1984 (32nd)	No Award					[16]
1985 (33rd)	No Award					[17]
1986 (34th)	Inner Instincts	English	Ministry of Welfare (India)	P. Vijay Kumar	For its sensitive and probing treatment of a vital social issue.	[18]
1987 (35th)	Sankalp	Hindi	Madhya Pradesh Film Development Corporation Ltd.	Rajendra Janglay	For rendering in a poetic, at the same time, sociological manner, the ordinary theme of the construction of a dam, its allied good and its consequences that would be the harbinger of progress.	[19]
1988 (36th)	Voices from Baliapal	English	Vector Productions	•Vasudha Joshi  •Ranjan Palit	For the meticulousness of its investigation and the clarity and conviction with which it carries the story of the non-violent resistance of the people of Baliapal against the establishing of a missile testing range of their rich and fertile lands.	[20]
1989 (37th)	The Limp in the Niche	English	Girish Karnad	Girish Karnad	For being illuminating exposition of a very humane philosophy, preaching universal brotherhood, harmony and equality of all living beings.	[21]
1990 (38th)	Safe Drinking Water for All	English	R. Krishna Mohan for Films Division	Mahesh P. Sinha	For effectively portraying the fundamental problem of drinking water and the steps being taken to solve the problem, without descending to propaganda.	[22]
1991 (39th)	Eyes of Stone	•Hindi  • Marwari	Nilita Vachani	Nilita Vachani	For portraying with sympathy and understanding the plight of the so-called possessed women.	[23]
1992 (40th)	Choodiyan	Hindi	Sai Paranjpye for Films Division	Sai Paranjpye	For portraying the courage of women in fighting alcoholism among the menfolk of the community.	[24]
1993 (41st)	The Women Betrayed	English	•Sehjo Singh  • Anwar Jamal	Sehjo Singh	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.	[25]
1994 (42nd)	Father, Son and Holy War (Part I: Trial by Fire, Part II: Hero Pharmacy)	•Hindi  •English	Anand Patwardhan	Anand Patwardhan	For its conviction, courage and relentless observation, tempered by a sharp sense of irony.	[26]
1995 (43rd)	Memories of Fear	•Hindi  •English	• Flavia Agnes  •Majlis Production	Madhushree Dutta	For exposing with insight the fear psychosis and humiliation of women in the patriarchal Indian society.	[27]
1996 (44th)	Silent Screams: A Village Chronicle	English	Jose Sebastián	O. K. Johnny	For highlighting with sensitivity and sincerity, the agony of the tribal woman of Thrinelli, Kerala.	[28]
1997 (45th)	Matir Bhanr	Bengali	Anjana Ghosh Dastidar	Debananda Sengupta	For an authentic portrayal of the struggle for identity empowerment by the underpriveleged girl child.	[29]
1998 (46th)	Malli	Tamil	Film and TV Institute of Tamil Nadu	R. Madhava Krisshnan	For its original reflection on the subject of sex-workers.	[30]
1999 (47th)	Atanka Ka Andhakar (Darkness of Terror)	Hindi	Films Division	Rajiv Kumar	For its documentation of the social issue of caste politics and the ensuing ruthless violence in Bihar.	[31]
2000 (48th)	Infiltrators	English	Urmi Chakraborty for Films Division	Urmi Chakraborty for Films Division	For its in-depth probe that unveils the illegal migration of Bangladeshis into India and the urgent need to address this issue on humanitarian grounds.	[32]
2001 (49th)	A New Paradigm	English	Aruna Raje Patil	Aruna Raje Patil	For dealing with the lives of the mentally challenged, the trauma of their relatives and the endless effort of the teachers to bring hope to this segment of the society.	[33]
2002 (50th)	Avchetan	Hindi	•Prem Matiyani for Films Division  •Ministry of Social Empowerment	Manisha Dwivedi	For its sensitive and direct portrayal of the predicaments and crisis of homosexuality both for the individual and his family. The short film powerfully covers a large canvas bringing together a team of outstanding new talent from the FTII led by Manisha Diwedi.	[34]
2003 (51st)	Way Back Home	Bengali	Rajasri Mukhopadhyay	Supriyo Sen	For its recounting of a remarkable journey to a homeland lost for ever, as a result of partition. A family driven out of East Pakistan during partition, undertakes a journey back after fifty years to their "homeland". The journey eventually turns into a story of painful memories, lost relationships and the madness of partition- all achieved through a touching personal narrative.	[35]
2004 (52nd)	Dwijaa	Marathi	Tripurari Sharan for FTII	Pankaj Purandare	For presenting the distress of a child widow and her graduation over reality with subtle and sensitive cinematic treatment.	[36]
2005 (53rd)	Way To Dusty Death	•Hindi  •English	Rajiv Mehrotra	Sayed Fayaz	For a Film on a little known subject that stirs the conscience and emotionally involves the viewers in the lives of the workers.	[37]
2006 (54th)	Children of Nomads	Hindi	Leoarts Communication	Meenakshi Vinay Rai	For gently drawing attention to the deprivation experienced by the children of nomads and for creating sensitive interaction between an urban child and a group of nomadic rural children.	[38]
2007 (55th)	Bagher Bacha	Bengali	Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute	Bishnu Dev Halder	For its spontaneous and multilayered depiction of the life of a child living in a railway station. He is shown on the borderline between a struggle for survival and a life of crime.	[39]
	Shifting Prophecy	English	Public Service Broadcasting Trust	Merajur Rahman Baruah	For handling the discrimination that Muslim women face in Tamil Nadu from some of the conservative clergy. The film successfully brings out the story of a woman activist who has galvanised the socially depressed women into fighting this gender discrimination.
2008 (56th)	The Female Nude	Hindi	Public Service Broadcasting Trust	•Hemjyotika  •Devi Prasad Mishra	For a compelling portrait of a woman who rises above her circumstances in an unconventional way, carving out a position for herself irrespective of how others view her.	[40]
	Buru Gaara	Hindi	Public Service Broadcasting Trust	Shriprakash	For the journey of two adivasi women from Jharkhand, finding their identity and dignity using language – one through poetry and the other through grassroots journalism. The film creates a space where the narratives of the women emerge as powerful tales of their struggle for empowerment.
2009 (57th)	Mr. India	Manipuri	Haobam Paban Kumar	Haobam Paban Kumar	For bringing alive a motivational and touching story of indomitable human spirit and resilience. The struggle of an HIV patient who overcame all odds and barriers to win Mr. India title.	[41]
2010 (58th)	Understanding Trafficking	•Bengali  •Hindi  •English	Cinemawoman	Ananya Chakraborti	To cross the line of limit, becomes an issue of indifference. Along this line, the documentary projects the serious social issue of human trafficking in a very thought provoking manner through stark and gravitating images. It airs an intriguing atmosphere of concerns through dramatised and realistic imageries.	[42]
2011 (59th)	Mindscapes... of Love and Longing	•Hindi  •English	Public Service Broadcasting Trust	Arun Chadha	For compassionately revealing the differently enabled and their needs for intimacy, sexuality and identity.	[43]
	Inshallah, Football	• Kashmiri  • Urdu  •English	Javed Jaffrey	Ashvin Kumar	For sensitively highlighting the frustrations of a young Kashmiri footballer in his efforts to acquire a passport against the backdrop of socio political turmoil in the region.
2012 (60th)	Behind The Mist	Malayalam	Babu Kambrath	Babu Kambrath	For its depiction of a land and people whose vital connections were lost. A film that gives dignity to its subject and portrays the plight of the migrant against the backdrop of an immensely beautiful land.	[44]
2013 (61st)	Gulabi Gang	•Hindi  • Bundelkhandi	Torstein Grude	Nishtha Jain	For its powerful depiction of a crusader for the subaltern that takes us deeper into the continuing struggles of the rural Indian woman set in a milieu of chauvinistic scepticism.	[45]
2014 (62nd)	Can't Take This Shit Anymore	English	Bhagirathi Films	Vinod Kapri	For incisively highlighting the acute desperation of rural women and the problems they face from the lack of basic and essential facilities for sanitation.	[46]
	Daughters of Mother India	English	V2 Film & Design Pvt. Ltd	Vibha Bakshi	For explicitly and determinedly turning the spotlight on the burning issue of rape in the country and the brutal mentality that drives it.
2015 (63rd)	Auto Driver	Manipuri	•Oinam Doren  •Longjam Meenadevi	Longjam Meenadevi	For kick-starting a courageous drive.	[47]
2016 (64th)	I am Jeeja	English	Rajiv Mehrotra	Swaty Chakraborty	Jeeja's will and zest for life, despite her personal struggles, makes this simply told story a beautiful ode to life.	[48]
	Sanath	Hindi	Priya Arun	Vasanth S. Sai	An inspiring story of a victim of medical negligence who becomes invalid for life. Uneducated and facing economic difficulties, he opens educational institutions where thousands can learn and become successful in life.
2017 (65th)	I am Bonnie		Films Division of India	Farha Khatun, Satarupa Santra, Sourabh Kanti Dutta	The pitiful plight of a football champion struggling with his family and society for a respectable life and career.	[49]
	Veil Done		Juhi Bhatt	Rajiv Mehrotra	An intimate depiction of women for whom merely stepping outside their homes is a courageous and empowering act.
2018 (66th)	Taala Te Kunjee	Punjabi	Simardeep Singh	Shilpi Gulati	xxx	[50]
2019 (67th)	Holy Rights	Urdu	Priyanka Pradeep More	Farha Khatun	xxx	[51]

References

1. Under Secretary to the Government of India (14 December 2023). "Report on Rationalization of Awards Conferred by the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting | Ministry of Information and Broadcasting | Government of India". Ministry of Information and Broadcasting . Retrieved 25 August 2024.
2. "15th National Film Awards" (PDF). Directorate of Film Festivals. Retrieved 29 March 2022.
3. "16th National Film Awards" (PDF). Directorate of Film Festivals. Retrieved 29 March 2022.
4. "17th National Film Awards" (PDF). Directorate of Film Festivals. Retrieved 29 March 2022.
5. "18th National Film Awards" (PDF). Directorate of Film Festivals. Retrieved 29 March 2022.
6. "20th National Film Awards" (PDF). Directorate of Film Festivals. Retrieved 29 March 2022.
7. "21st National Film Awards" (PDF). Directorate of Film Festivals. Retrieved 29 March 2022.
8. "22nd National Film Awards" (PDF). Directorate of Film Festivals. Retrieved 29 March 2022.
9. "23rd National Film Awards" (PDF). Directorate of Film Festivals. Retrieved 29 March 2022.
10. "25th National Film Awards" (PDF). Directorate of Film Festivals. Retrieved 29 March 2022.
11. "26th National Film Awards" (PDF). Directorate of Film Festivals. Retrieved 29 March 2022.
12. "28th National Film Awards" (PDF). Directorate of Film Festivals. Retrieved 29 March 2022.
13. "29th National Film Awards" (PDF). Directorate of Film Festivals. Retrieved 29 March 2022.
14. "30th National Film Awards" (PDF). Directorate of Film Festivals. Retrieved 29 March 2022.
15. "31st National Film Awards" (PDF). Directorate of Film Festivals. Retrieved 29 March 2022.
16. "32nd National Film Awards" (PDF). Directorate of Film Festivals. Retrieved 29 March 2022.
17. "33rd National Film Awards" (PDF). Directorate of Film Festivals. Retrieved 29 March 2022.
18. "34th National Film Awards" (PDF). Directorate of Film Festivals. Retrieved 29 March 2022.
19. "35th National Film Awards" (PDF). Directorate of Film Festivals. Retrieved 29 March 2022.
20. "36th National Film Awards" (PDF). Directorate of Film Festivals. Retrieved 29 March 2022.
21. "37th National Film Awards" (PDF). Directorate of Film Festivals. Retrieved 29 March 2022.
22. "38th National Film Awards" (PDF). Directorate of Film Festivals. Retrieved 29 March 2022.
23. "39th National Film Awards" (PDF). Directorate of Film Festivals. Retrieved 29 March 2022.
24. "40th National Film Awards" (PDF). Directorate of Film Festivals. Retrieved 29 March 2022.
25. "41st National Film Awards" (PDF). Directorate of Film Festivals. Retrieved 29 March 2022.
26. "42nd National Film Awards" (PDF). Directorate of Film Festivals. Retrieved 29 March 2022.
27. "43rd National Film Awards" (PDF). Directorate of Film Festivals. Retrieved 29 March 2022.
28. "44th National Film Awards" (PDF). Directorate of Film Festivals. Retrieved 29 March 2022.
29. "45th National Film Awards" (PDF). Directorate of Film Festivals. Retrieved 29 March 2022.
30. "46th National Film Awards" (PDF). Directorate of Film Festivals. Retrieved 29 March 2022.
31. "47th National Film Awards" (PDF). Directorate of Film Festivals. Retrieved 29 March 2022.
32. "48th National Film Awards" (PDF). Directorate of Film Festivals. Retrieved 29 March 2022.
33. "49th National Film Awards" (PDF). Directorate of Film Festivals. Retrieved 29 March 2022.
34. "50th National Film Awards" (PDF). Directorate of Film Festivals. Retrieved 29 March 2022.
35. "51st National Film Awards" (PDF). Directorate of Film Festivals. Retrieved 29 March 2022.
36. "52nd National Film Awards" (PDF). Directorate of Film Festivals. Retrieved 29 March 2022.
37. "53rd National Film Awards" (PDF). Directorate of Film Festivals. Retrieved 29 March 2022.
38. "54th National Film Awards" (PDF). Directorate of Film Festivals. Retrieved 29 March 2022.
39. "55th National Film Awards" (PDF). Directorate of Film Festivals. Retrieved 29 March 2022.
40. "56th National Film Awards" (PDF). Directorate of Film Festivals. Retrieved 29 March 2022.
41. "57th National Film Awards" (PDF). Directorate of Film Festivals. Retrieved 29 March 2022.
42. "58th National Film Awards" (PDF). Directorate of Film Festivals. Retrieved 29 March 2022.
43. "59th National Film Awards for the Year 2011 Announced". Press Information Bureau (PIB), India. Retrieved 7 March 2012.
44. "60th National Film Awards Announced" (PDF) (Press release). Press Information Bureau (PIB), India. Retrieved 17 April 2014.
45. "61st National Film Awards" (PDF). Directorate of Film Festivals. 16 April 2014. Archived from the original (PDF) on 16 April 2014. Retrieved 16 April 2014.
46. "62nd National Film Awards" (PDF) (Press release). Directorate of Film Festivals. 24 March 2015. Retrieved 24 March 2015.
47. "63rd National Film Awards" (PDF) (Press release). Directorate of Film Festivals. 28 March 2016. Retrieved 28 March 2016.
48. "64th National Film Awards" (PDF) (Press release). Directorate of Film Festivals. Archived from the original (PDF) on 6 June 2017. Retrieved 7 April 2017.
49. "65th National Film Awards LIVE: Sridevi Posthumously Awarded Best Actress; Vinod Khanna Honoured With Dada Saheb Phalke Award". news18.com. 13 April 2018. Retrieved 7 May 2021.
50. "66th National Film Awards" (PDF).
51. "67th National Film Awards" (PDF).

External links

• Official Page for Directorate of Film Festivals, India
• National Film Awards Archives