The National Film Awards were first presented in the year 1954. From 1973, the award ceremonies are administrated by the Indian government’s Directorate of Film Festivals. The National awards are given to encourage the films directed across the India. Each year the government appoints a national panel to select the winning entry. The national award ceremonies are generally held in New Delhi and the awards are presented by the President of India to the winners for the year. The ‘Best Film on Social Issues’ award is one of the sub-categories of Non-Feature Film Awards which was introduced in 1997. The award was presented to films covering issues including prohibition, women and child welfare, dowry, drug abuse, and welfare of the handicapped. The inaugural award was presented to O. K. Johnny for the film ‘Silent Screams: A Village Chronicle’. O. K. Johnny is a documentary film-maker, media and film critic in Malayalam who has also authored four books on film and cultural history of Wayanad.
National Award Winners For Best Film On Social Issues Are:
|
Year
|
Film
|
Director
|
Language
|
|
2007
|
Hope
|
Satish Kasetty
|
Telugu
|
|
2005
|
Perumazakkalam
|
Kamal
|
Malayalam
|
|
2004
|
Gangaajal
|
Prakash Jha
|
Hindi
|
|
2003
|
Avchetan
|
Manisha Dwivedi
|
Hindi
|
|
2002
|
Vetri Kodi Kattu
|
Cheran
|
Tamil
|
|
2001
|
Infiltrators
|
Urmi Chakraborty
|
English
|
|
2000
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
|
1999
|
Malli
|
R. Madhava Krisshnan
|
Tamil
|
|
1997
|
Silent Screams: A Village Chronicle
|
O K Johnny
|
English
|