Lily Bily and Shatru Gate have received the highest number of nominations for the NFDC National Film Awards announced on Saturday. Lily Bily and Shatru Gate, both of which are currently in theatres, have been nominated in nine categories each, while last year’s runaway hit Chhakka Panja 2 has been nominated under eight categories. Furthermore,  Prem Geet 2 and Aishwarya each have been nominated under seven categories, while Bhuimanchhe has been nominated under six categories. 

The awards will be handed out under 23 different categories, while  two categories—Critics’ Choice Awards, and Best Commercial Film—added this year. 

Nominated under the Best Film heading are the films Chhakka Panja 2, Bhuimanchhe, Prem Geet 2, Shatru Gate and Lily Bily; while Deepa Shree Niraula (Chhakka Panja 2), Nabaraj Budhathoki (Bhuimanchhe), Ram Sharan Pathak (Prem Geet 2), Pradip Bhattarai (Shatru Gatey), and Milan Chams (Lily Bily) have been nominated for the Best Director award. 

Nominated for Best Actor award are Pradip Khadka (Lily Bily), Dayahang Rai (Tandro), Anmol KC (Kri), Pal Shah (Ma Esto Geet Gauchhu), and Pushpa Khadka (Mangalam); Samragyi RL Shah (A Mero Hajur 2), Neeta Dhungana (Panchayat), Shilpa Pokhrel (Mangalam), Keki Adhikari (Ghampani), and Benisha Hamal (Blind Rocks) have been nominated for Best Actress award. 

The films were selected out of the 83 films that were released in the Nepali calendar year 2074. The films, according to a press note issued by Ujjwal Poudel, chair of Nepal Film Development Company (NFDC), were picked after interactions with experts and filmmakers. 

The films will be judged by a four-member panel comprising veteran musician Shubha Bahadur Sunam, senior cinematographer Manjukumar Shrestha, sound engineer Pradeep Upadhyaya, and veteran actress Chaitya Devi Singh.