The 45th National Film Awards, presented by Directorate of Film Festivals, the organisation set up by Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, India to felicitate the best of Indian Cinema released in the year 1997.
[2] The awards were announced on 8 May 1998 and presented on 10 July 1998 by then President of India, K. R. Narayanan.
A committee headed by K. K. Kapil was appointed to evaluate the non-feature films awards.
The awards aim at encouraging study and appreciation of cinema as an art form and dissemination of information and critical appreciation of this art-form through publication of books, articles, reviews etc.
A committee headed by Chidananda Dasgupta was appointed to evaluate the writing on Indian cinema.