National Film Awards 2026 to Be Held in Gujarat

The ceremony of 72nd National Film Awards will take place in Ekta Nagar in Narmada district of Gujarat state on September 22, 2026, thus marking a huge change from the history of this event which is closely associated with New Delhi. This award ceremony will take place close to the Statue of Unity, where the President of India Droupadi Murmu will be presenting the awards. The change has drawn the attention of people since the National Film Awards always used to take place in the capital city of the country.

72nd National Film Awards Ceremony in Gujarat

The event has been planned to take place at a makeshift venue near the Statue of Unity. The administration of the Narmada district is preparing a special structure, which includes a German aluminum dome structure.

About 1,000 people, including winners of awards, dignitaries and officials, are estimated to attend the event. The event is expected to last for about 75 minutes. In addition to that, arrangements are being made for the security and movements of the dignitaries.

It is not known officially by the union government as to why the ceremony has been shifted from Delhi to Gujarat. There are no indications as to whether the ceremony will continue to take place outside Delhi in future editions.

Have the National Film Awards Ceremony Ever Taken Place Outside of Delhi?

While the National Film Awards Ceremony has always taken place in Delhi, Gujarat is not the first venue other than the capital where the ceremony has been held.

The 17th National Film Awards took place at the University Centenary Auditorium in Madras, which is now known as Chennai, on November 21, 1970. The 2026 ceremony is thus an anomaly in the long history of the award taking place in New Delhi.

The unique nature of the venue is also highlighted by the fact that one of this year’s selected films talks about the monument itself. Director Aanand L Rai bagged Best Direction for non-feature for his film Statue of Unity–Ekta ka Prateek.

National Film Award Winners 2026

Winners of the 72nd National Film Awards have been selected on the basis of films released during the year 2024. The Union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting had announced the winners of the awards in July.

Some of the major winners includes

• Best Feature Film: Article 370
• Best Actress: Yami Gautam for Article 370
• Best Actor: Mammootty for Bramayugam and Kartik Aaryan for Chandu Champion
• Best Non-Feature Film: Bhangaar
• Best Documentary: Ram-Nami
• Best New Director: Randeep Hooda for Swatantrya Veer Savarkar

Other films like Kalki 2898 AD, Amaran, Pushpa: The Rule Part-02 and Stree 2 have also won in different categories.