BHUBANESWAR: To attract more participants for the National Road Safety Short Film Festival, the State Transport Authority (STA) has hiked the cash prize by doubling the reward amounts. The film festival is a first of its kind initiative in the country to create awareness on accidents and the fatalities arising out of them.
The prize money for best film has been raised from Rs 50,000 to Rs 1 lakh, first runner-up from Rs 40,000 to Rs 80,000 and second runner-up award is now Rs 60, 000.“Seeing the enthusiasm and to encourage more people to send in their entries, we have increased the prize money for films in both Odia and non-Odia languages. Cash awards for individual section will remain the same,” said Principal Secretary, Commerce and Transport Department Bishnupada Sethi.
The other awards are for the categories of best director, screenplay, cinematography, actor/actress, all having a cash prize of Rs 25,000 each. The Transport Department on Saturday introduced jury members and released the festival’s posters. The jury includes founder of Humara Bachpan Trust Dharitri Patnaik who has years of experience in international development, human rights and urban development, eminent disability rights activist Sruti Mohapatra, chairman of Odisha Film Development Corporation Kuna Tripathy, former MP and noted Odia actor Sidhant Mohapatr and filmmaker Onir.
National award winning film producer and philanthropist Manish Mundra, award winning filmmaker Rajesh Touchriver, Odia actors Sabyasachi Mishra and Varsha Priyadarshini, Bakul Foundation secretary Sujit Mahapatra and executive director of Sambad Group Tanaya Patnaik are also on the jury.As road accidents remain a major cause of concern in Odisha which accounts for over 5,000 deaths annually, the STA launched the National Road Safety Short Film Festival to utilise the cinematic experience and explore how art can unite citizens and the society for safer mobility solutions.
“Cinema is a power medium for social change and we plan to utilize it to touch more and more people so that the message of road safety can spread far and wide,” said Transport Commissioner Arun Bothra on the occasion. Our aim is to minimise road accidents and the fatalities arising out of them. Every accident is being thoroughly investigated so that such road mishaps do not occur again and again, he added.
Each short movie can have a maximum duration of two minutes including the credits and they can be filmed in Odia and non-Odia languages. However, subtitles in English have been made compulsory for all the entries. All the films will be judged on parameters like content originality, production, post-production, sound quality and acting skills.
Filmmakers, amateur movie enthusiasts and students can submit their entries by June 3. The participants can mail their entry via Google Drive or WeTransfer to roadsafety-od@gov.in and roadsafetyshortfilms@gmail.com. The festival will be held in Rourkela on June 18 and 19 in Puri on June 24 and 25.
JURY MEMBERS
Dharitri Patnaik, founder, Humara Bachpan Trust
Sruti Mohapatra, disability rights activist
Onir, filmmaker
Sujit Mahapatra, Bakul Foundation
Tanaya Patnaik, Executive director, Sambad Group
Rajesh Touchriver, filmmaker
Kuna Tripathy, chairman of OFDC
Sidhant Mohapatra, actor, former MP
Manish Mundra, film producer, philanthropist
Sabyasachi Mishra, Varsha Priyadarshini, actors