The National Film Awards, commonly known as the National Awards, are arguably the most prestigious and prominent film awards in India. The Awards are presented annually, in a ceremony, by the President of India. Declared for films produced in the previous year across the country, they hold the distinction of awarding merit to the best of Indian Cinema overall, as well as presenting awards for the best films in each region and language of the country.

National Film Awards are one of the oldest and prestigious awards for the Indian film fraternity. It is being conducted on behalf of the government. As a result it is an important achievement for the artistes.

Both the mainstream films and the parallel cinema are recognised through the National Film Awards. In fact it is one of the award ceremonies where the regional films play an important role. The National Film Awards provided opportunities to directors like Girish Kasaravalli, Budhdhadeb Dasgupta, Aparna Sen, Govindan Aravindan and several others to introduce their art to the rest of the country.

The National Film Awards are classified into the Golden Lotus Award and the Silver Lotus Awards.