A special German aluminium-structure dome is being erected near the Statue of Unity in Gujarat’s Ekta Nagar for the 72nd National Film Awards ceremony, which is being held outside Delhi for the first time in seven decades.The ceremony will be hosted at the Statue of Unity complex, with a temporary venue being constructed in the Bus Bay area to accommodate nearly 1,000 dignitaries and guests.The 75-minute event is being jointly organised by the Union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and the Gujarat government.A total of 92 winners will be honoured at the ceremony for excellence across feature films, non-feature films and other categories. The National Film Development Corporation of India announced the winners on July 18.Among the major honours, “Article 370” has been selected as the Best Feature Film. Kartik Aaryan, for “Chandu Champion”, and Mammootty, for “Bramayugam”, will share the Best Actor award, while Yami Gautam has been named Best Actress for “Article 370”.Director Aanand L Rai is also scheduled to receive an award in the non-feature category for “Statue of Unity–Ekta ka Prateek”, a documentary based on the iconic monument.The relocation gives the 72nd edition particular significance in the history of the National Film Awards. Instituted in 1954, the awards are among India’s highest official honours for cinema and are presented by the President of India.The awards ceremony has traditionally been associated with New Delhi. The earlier major shift from the capital came when Madras (now Chennai) hosted the 17th National Film Awards on November 21, 1970.The Statue of Unity, dedicated to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, stands 182 metres tall on the banks of the Narmada near Kevadia. Inaugurated in 2018, it is recognised as the world’s tallest statue and has become a major landmark and tourism destination in Gujarat.The choice of Ekta Nagar for the national cinema awards brings together two prominent national symbols — India’s premier official film honours and the monument dedicated to Sardar Patel.