Puri: ‘Rakhi’, a film based on brother-sister bond and directed by Manmay Dey from Balasore was awarded as the best film in Odia category and ‘The Power of 2 Sec’, directed by Pankaj Gupta from Bangalore, in non-Odia category in the National Road Safety Short Film Festival, 2022.
Chief Justice S Muralidhar of Orissa High Court felicitated the filmmakers at the award ceremony of the festival organised at Town Hall in Puri on Saturday.
Speaking on the occasion, Justice Muralidhar said, “The issues raised in the films on road safety are very relatable. I am hopeful this festival will create more awareness about safe driving habits and help us in reducing road accidents and fatalities related to it. This festival is an eye-opener for judiciary as well.”
In his address, Justice Murahari Sri Raman urged to focus on first party insurance for all the vehicles, free treatment for trauma patients during first 48 hours of accident, blood donation and well equipped ambulance at regular intervals on roads.
Sunil Kumar Bansal, DGP, Odisha said, “Movies have a forceful impact on public. The films on road safety will prove to be an eureka moment for thousands of people. Festivals like this will help spread awareness on road safety. I urge one and all to wear helmet while riding two-wheelers. This will save enormous lives.”
The jury members of the festival including Kuna Tripathy, former chairman, OFDC and popular Odia actor; Sidhanta Mohapatra, former MP and veteran actor; Rajesh Touchriver, National Award Winning Filmmaker; Dharitri Patnaik, entrepreneur and philanthropist and Sujit Mohapatra, Bakul Foundation and Author were present on the occasion.
Arun Bothra, Transport Commissioner and Srinibas Behera, Additional Commissioner Transport were also present.
Total 230 entries were received from across the country for the contest which was open till June 10. Filmmakers, amateur film enthusiasts and students submitted entries in the form of documentary, experimental, narrative, fiction, non-fiction and animation. There were entries in many non-Odia languages including Hindi, Telugu, Malayalam and English on various aspects of road safety.
In the last leg of the festival, shortlisted films were screened on June 24 at Town Hall, Puri. Around 700 students from different schools of Puri were present. Earlier, 42 shortlisted films were screened in Rourkela on June 18 and 19.
Following is the list of awardees:
Odia Category
Best Film
- Winner- Rakhi from Balesore- Screenplay & Direction- Manmay dey
- First Runner up- Start from Bhubaneswar – produced by Digital Dreams, Directed by Jitendra Sethi
- Second Runner Up- Helmet- Wear Helmet Properly from Bhubaneswar- Written & directed by Kalinga Jaysingh
Individual awards
- Best Cinematography – DIBYARANJAN MOHAPATRA, The Last Ride from Bhubaneswar
- Best Screenplay– GULSHAN MOHANTA, Kabaach from Baripada
- Best Direction– MANMAY DEY, Rakhi from Balasore
- Best Acting– Kalyani Panda, Na Aau Nuhen from Bhubaneswar & N Priyadarshini Sahoo, Thank you Baba from Jajpur
Non-Odia Category
Best Film
- Winner- The Power of 2 Seconds from Bangalore– Screenplay & Direction by Pankaj Gupta
- Second Runner Up- Awake from Kerala, directed by Sreenath S
- First Runner up- I Am on the Way from Berhampur by MAHESH STR
Individual awards
- Best Cinematography – Vivek Vijayan, Awake – Kerala
- Best Screenplay- Rohan Yadav, Stuck – Bhubaneswar
- Best Direction- Om Panigrahi, Whisper of The crown, Bhubaneswar & Vivek Vijayan, EndJoy, Kerala
- Best Acting Swadhiti & Shitilagna, Sadak from KV, Koraput
Special Jury Award
- Animation- Thrill can Kill – Berhampur
- Santhali film – Anhela from Rairangpur
