FTII’s year-end coordinated exercise film by Chidanand Naik (Director) and his team shines at La Cinema
“Sunflowers Were the First Ones to Know,” a film by Chidanand Naik, a student of the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), has been selected for the ‘La Cinef’ Competitive section of the 77th Cannes Film Festival, France. Scheduled from May 15th to 24th, 2024, the festival features this section as an official platform to nurture emerging talents and showcase films from film schools worldwide.
Out of 2,263 submissions from film schools globally, 18 shorts (14 live-action and 4 animated films) have been selected, with Naik’s film being the sole Indian entry in the ‘La Cinef’ section. The jury will present La Cinef prizes during a ceremony preceding the screening of the awarded films on May 23rd at the Buñuel Theatre.
“Sunflowers Were the First Ones to Know” narrates the tale of an elderly woman who absconds with the village’s rooster, leading to chaos within the community. A prophecy is invoked to retrieve the rooster, resulting in the exile of the old lady’s family.
This marks the first instance of a film from FTII’s 1-year Television course being chosen for the esteemed Cannes Film Festival.
FTII’s distinctive pedagogical approach, emphasizing practice-based co-learning in the realm of Cinema and Television, has consistently propelled its students and alumni to acclaim in various National and International Film festivals.
Produced under FTII’s TV Wing One-year program, this film showcases collaboration among students from diverse disciplines such as Direction, Electronic Cinematography, Editing, and Sound. Chidananda S Naik directs the film, Suraj Thakur handles cinematography, Manoj V edits, and Abhishek Kadam oversees sound design.
