Dikhyaa Mohanty 
With 247 submissions from all over the nation, the National Road Safety Short Film Festival 2023 has seen an incredible amount of interest. Entries in the categories of documentary, experimental, narrative, fiction, non-fiction, and animation have been submitted by filmmakers, amateur film enthusiasts, and students. Seven states and seven different languages have entries. There are 145 films in the Odia language and 75 non-Odia language films among the qualified entries.There are eight animated films and seven silent films in total.
In addition to Odia, there are a good number of entries from the State’s tribal belts in Santhali. Additional entries on different facets of road safety are available in Bengali, Hindi, Telugu, Malayalam, and English. In addition to Odisha, entries have been received from Delhi, West Bengal, Kerala, Punjab, Maharashtra, and Assam. Students studying in Bhubaneswar this year from our neighboring countries—Nepal, Bangladesh, and Kenya—have also submitted films for the festival.
A panel of judges made up of notable people from various fields as well as professionals from the film industry will choose the winners. On December 1, Sambalpur on December 4, and Angul on December 7, the shortlisted films will be screened. On December 12, the festival’s grand finale will take place in Bhubaneswar.
The festival, which is being hosted by the Odisha government’s Transport Department, aims to decrease traffic-related fatalities and accidents by increasing public awareness of road safety issues and encouraging greater participation in road safety cooperation both in the state of Odisha and nationwide.
