The 67th National Film Awards are postponed amid Coronavirus lockdown? Read details

The 67th edition of the National Film Awards that takes place on May 3 every year, has been postponed, according to reports. With the lockdown extended till May 3, the awards have been delayed indefinitely.

Every year the winners of the awards are announced in April and the presentation ceremony is held on May 3, which is when India's first feature film is said to have its theatrical release in 1913.

Though there is no official statement by the Ministry on this, Filmmaker Rahul Rawail in a conversation with a leading daily said that the jury hasn't been assembled yet and the government can't take a step amid an ongoing global crisis and until the lockdown is lifted completely. He also added that with very few movies released in 2020, it will not be 'fair' to have a National Film Awards next year.

Rawail said that for the film and TV industry, this year has 'gone off from the calendar'. He says the worries are there, but priorities are different at the point. He said the government is focusing on getting things back on track and they can't just focus on 'films' amid a health crisis.

For those unaware, the 66th National Film Awards were delayed in 2019 due to general elections. The winners were announced in August and the awards were presented by  Vice President Venkaiah Naidu in December.

The National Awards for films were started as an annual incentive by the Government of India, for the making of artistic, competent and meaningful films, to cover the entire national spectrum of Indian Cinema, to judge merit by the highest possible yardstick and to become the most coveted and prestigious awards in the country.