Bhubaneswar: The Transport Department of Odisha government has invited entries for 2nd edition of National Road Safety Short Film Festival.
The festival aims at raising awareness on road safety issues and promoting increased engagement in road safety cooperation in the state as well as across the nation to reduce the road accidents and fatalities.
Speaking at the launching ceremony of the festival, Tukuni Sahu, Minister of Commerce & Transport said, “Every life is precious. Road safety is a high priority area for our government. Short films can be an effective tool of communication for spreading the message of road safety.”
Sunil Kumar Bansal, DGP, Odisha said, “As a society we have become insensitive to road accident deaths. Road accidents and fatalities related to it are like slow haemorrhage. Overspeeding is the root cause of many road accidents. Road safety is a shared responsibility. Together we can make a difference.”
In his welcome address, Amitabh Thakur, Transport Commissioner, said, “The festival offers an unbiased and a democratic space to storytellers, who are willing to share their ideas about road safety through the audio-visual medium. Like last year, the festival will be in two categories of Odia language and non-Odia language, while subtitles in English is mandatory for all entries. The festival will offer cash prizes in different categories worth Rs 8
lakh.”
Winners will be selected by a judging panel of film industry professionals and non-industry professionals, luminaries from different walks of life.
Filmmakers, amateur film enthusiasts and students can submit their entries. The films can be submitted in the categories of Documentary, Experimental, Narrative, Fiction, Non-fiction or Animation. The total duration of film can be maximum 120 seconds, including front and end credits.
Filmmakers can mail their entry via Google drive or We Transfer Link to roadsafetyshortfilms@gmail.com.
All the details are available on http://odishatransport.gov.in/.
The last date of submission of entry is November 17. Film screenings will be organised at Berhampur on December 1, at Sambalpur on December 4 and Angul on December 7. The grand finale of the festival will be held in Bhubaneswar on December 12.
In order to sensitise the people on road safety, the Transport Department organised first edition of National Road Safety Short Film Festival in 2022. A first-of-its-kind event in the country, the festival was a huge success. Total 230 entries were received in 6 languages from 8 states. It was appreciated by Supreme Court Committee on Road Safety and adjudged as one of the best practices for Road Safety awareness.
