TFP Bureau, New Delhi; April 24, 2024: Chidanand Naik, a student from the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), has achieved a significant milestone with his film “Sunflowers Were the First Ones to Know” being selected for the prestigious 77th Cannes Film Festival in France. The film will be showcased in the ‘La Cinef’ Competitive section of the festival, scheduled to take place from May 15th to May 24th, 2024.
“Sunflowers Were the First Ones to Know” was chosen among 18 shorts (14 live-action and 4 animated films) out of a total of 2,263 submissions from film schools worldwide. It stands as the sole Indian entry in the ‘La Cinef’ section of Cannes. The Jury will present the La Cinef prizes at a ceremony preceding the screening of the awarded films on May 23rd at the Buñuel Theatre.
The film, directed by Chidanand Naik, revolves around the story of an elderly woman who steals the village rooster, leading to chaos within the community. The narrative unfolds as the family of the old lady invokes a prophecy to retrieve the rooster, ultimately resulting in their exile.
Notably, this marks the first occasion where a film from the one-year Television course at FTII has been selected for the Cannes Film Festival.
FTII’s commitment to a unique pedagogy and practice-based co-learning approach in the field of Cinema and Television has consistently produced outstanding talents, with students and alumni receiving accolades at national and international film festivals over the years.
“Sunflowers Were the First Ones to Know” is a collaborative production from FTII’s TV Wing One-year program, involving students specializing in Direction, Electronic Cinematography, Editing, and Sound. Suraj Thakur handled the cinematography, Manoj V took charge of editing, and Abhishek Kadam managed the sound design under Chidanand Naik’s direction.
