Nine months on, National Film Awards yet to be announced
Even nine months after the submission of files, the National Film Awards for 2023 have yet to be gazetted. Although the final judging process was completed and the judges' recommendations were submitted to the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, the official gazette has still not been published. Meanwhile, as of the first day of 2026, there has been no decision regarding the National Film Awards for 2024 either—films have not been invited for submission, nor has a jury board been formed. According to Prothom Alo's report, officials of the relevant wing of the ministry have been unable to provide any information on when the process will move forward.
According to sources, the jury board for the 2023 National Film Awards was reconstituted in September last year and took its final shape in November. The judges then began screening films, completing the process in the last week of February this year. Following this, they submitted their recommendations for award recipients. On March 4, the Bangladesh Film Certification Board forwarded the recommendation file to the relevant wing of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. Although there were repeated indications that the gazette would be published in the last week of April, this did not materialise.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel. Several officials of the Film Certification Board stated that the publication of the gazette now lies entirely under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, and that the board itself has no specific information on the matter. Officials of the ministry's concerned wing also said they were unable to confirm any timeline for the gazette.
On condition of anonymity, several members of the jury board said that while nearly all national honours, including the Ekushey Padak, Independence Award and Bangla Academy Award, have been conferred on time during the interim government's tenure, the continued delay in publishing the National Film Awards gazette is disappointing. In their view, failing to announce the results months after the judges have completed their work reflects a degree of indifference.
Veteran film actress Suchorita, a member of the jury board, told Prothom Alo, "We have completed our responsibility. Now it is up to the ministry. There is no justification for such a long delay in publishing the gazette after the judging process is over."
SM Imran Hossain, chairman of the Department of Television, Film and Photography at the University of Dhaka and also a jury member, said, "There should be a fixed annual calendar for such initiatives. Prolonged delays create negative perceptions about jury members, even though the responsibility does not lie with us. I believe the gazette should be announced now, even if the formal ceremony is held later."
Singer and jury member Nazmun Munira Nancy said, "We completed our work within the stipulated time. During that period, we also received sincere cooperation from the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and the Film Certification Board. We expected the results to be published in gazette form within one and a half to two months. When that did not happen, I enquired several times about the reason for the delay, but received no clear answer. After putting in so much effort, at least seeing the official notification would have been gratifying."
An official of the relevant wing of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, speaking on condition of anonymity, said, "There is still no specific information on this matter. It is not possible to say when the gazette will be published."
Out of 51 films released in 2023, 49 were considered for the National Film Awards. Awards are set to be given in 28 categories. It has also been learnt that the names of Shabnam and Javed have been jointly proposed for the Lifetime Achievement Award.
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