| 2nd National Film Awards | |
|---|---|
| Awarded for | Best of Indian cinema in 1954 |
| Awarded by | Ministry of Information and Broadcasting |
| Presented by | Rajendra Prasad (President of India) |
| Presented on | 21 December 1955 |
| Site | Vigyan Bhavan, New Delhi |
| Official website | dff.nic.in |
| Highlights | |
| Best Feature Film | Mirza Ghalib |
| Most awards | • Mirza Ghalib • Neelakuyil (2) |
The 2nd National Film Awards, then known as State Awards for Films, presented by Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, India to felicitate the best of Indian Cinema released in the year 1954.[1] Ceremony took place at Vigyan Bhavan, New Delhi on 21 December 1955 and awards were given by then President of India, Rajendra Prasad.
With the increasing number of films made in India, couple of new awards were introduced. Starting with 2nd National Film Awards, awards were divided into feature film and non-feature film awards. Feature films were, again, awarded at All India and Regional level. Awards were given to seven regional language films which are in Bengali, Hindi, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Tamil and Telugu.
At All India level, Children's films were awarded with its own category where awards were categorised as Prime Minister's gold medal and Certificate of Merit. For all other categories, awards were given as President's gold medal and Certificate of Merit. Regional films were awarded with President's silver medal for Best Feature Film and Certificate of Merit. Non-feature film awards were awarded for documentaries made in the country.