The National Film Awards (also known as the Daily Mail National Film Awards, Daily Mail Film Awards, British Film Oscars, Britain's Oscars, and Silver Star) were the first ever[1] national film awards held in Britain. They were sponsored by the Daily Mail newspaper with readers voting at cinemas across the country, for Best Actor, Actress, and Film. The inaugural event was held at the Dorchester Hotel, London in 1946.
| National Film Awards | |
|---|---|
| Awarded for | Highest award for most outstanding British film and actor and actress in films. |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Presented by | Lord and Lady Rothermere |
| First awarded | 1946; 78 years ago (1946) |
| Last awarded | 1951; 73 years ago (1951) |
The first awards were awarded to James Mason and Margaret Lockwood for most outstanding British actor and actress during the war years.[1]
The award is seen as the predecessor to the British Academy Film Awards (also known as the BAFTA Film Awards) which, although it began in 1947, did not give Best Actor/Actress awards until 1952 and the inspiration behind the National Film Awards UK which is voted on by movie fans and commenced its award ceremonies since 2015.
The awards ran from 1946 to 1951. It was always held at the Dorchester HotelinLondon and was hosted by Lord and Lady Rothermere. It was held in conjunction with the Daily Mail National Film Festival held in Leicester Square, London. The trophy was a silver nymph holding aloft a silver star in its right hand. The circular base was inscribed with the winners details. The trophy stands approximately 60 cm high.In
This inaugural event was the first national film award held in the UK.[1]
Over 2.2 million members of the public voted during the contest.[2]