The 71st National Film Awards for Non-Feature Films brought to light a host of incredible works from emerging and established talents across India. These films, cutting across languages and themes, showcased the diversity, spirit, and creative excellence of Indian cinema beyond the mainstream.
Topping the honors was The Film and Television Institute of India’s project directed by Soumyajit Ghosh Dastidar, awarded in the Best Non-Feature Film category. In Best Debut Film of a Director, Mau: The Spirit Dreams of Cheraw (Mizo) by Shilpika Bordoloi and Mo Bou, Mo Gaan (Odia) by Subash Sahoo shared the spotlight. Lentina Ao - A Light on the Eastern Horizon (English) stood out in the Best Biographical / Historical Reconstruction / Compilation Film category.
In the Best Arts / Culture Film segment, Timeless Tamil Nadu (English) directed by Sanjib Parasar was recognized, while God Vulture and Human (English, Hindi & Telugu) by Kamakhya Narayan Singh won under Best Documentary. The Best Non-Feature Film Promoting Social and Environmental Values went to The Silent Epidemic (Hindi) directed by Akshat Gupta. Meanwhile, Giddh – The Scavenger (Hindi), directed by Manish Saini, claimed the honor for Best Short Film (Up to 30 Minutes).
Piyush Thakur received the award for Best Direction for The First Film (Hindi), which also won Best Music Direction by Pranil Desai. Little Wings (Tamil) was applauded for Best Cinematography, credited to Saravanamaruthu Soundarapandi and Meenakshi Soman. In Best Sound Design, Dhundhgiri Ke Phool (Hindi) earned the title under Shubharun Sengupta, while Niladri Roy was acknowledged for Best Editing in Moving Focus (English).
Other notable wins included The Sacred Jack – Exploring The Tree of Wishes (English) for Best Narration/Voice Over by Harikrishnan S, and Sunflowers Were The First Ones To Know... (Kannada) for Best Script, written by Chidananda Naik. Two films received Special Mention: Nekal – Chronicle of The Paddy Man (Malayalam) by M.K. Ramadas, and The Sea And Seven Villages (Odia) by Himansu Sekhar Khatua.