The 18th National Film Awards were held in Chennai, India in November 1971 by the Indian Ministry of Information and Broadcasting for Indian films released in 1970.

For the 18th National Film Awards the central jury was headed by Justice G. D.

The top national award in each category was the President's Gold Medal and, at the regional level, the President's Silver Medal.

For feature films in Assamese, English, Gujarati, Kashmiri, Oriya and Punjabi language, the resident's Silver Medal for Best Feature Film was not given.

The producer and director of the film were awarded with ₹5,000 and a Silver medal, respectively.